


Endgame

by LeQuin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 18:54:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 83,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18394337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeQuin/pseuds/LeQuin
Summary: Ron leaving them stranded on the hunt for the horcruxes wakes Harry and Hermione up to the fact that they cannot continue on as they have. They will have to think things through and not trust to luck or a destiny that may or may not turn out in their favour.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Warning**
> 
> This story will not be painting Ron Weasley in the best light. There will be violence and gore since the story takes place in the middle of a war. Depending on which glasses you're wearing this fic may read like a Harmony fic, Harry/Luna fic, or a Lunar Harmony fic. I don't really care which one floats your boat as I won't be getting too explicit about any particular relationship. If any of this mortally offends you, the simple solution would be to go read something else.
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Disclaimer**
> 
> Harry Potter and all associated characters, locations and what not belong to J.K. Rowling and whoever she sells the rights to. I have borrowed these characters, locations and what not in order to mess around with them. In some cases I have lifted a piece of dialogue or scene directly from the books as a touchstone. I do not own anything except the plot and I am not making any money from this endeavor. This applies to the whole story.

_Harry Potter was battling his way through hordes of faceless Death Eaters. He couldn't tell where they were coming from or if he was making any progress towards his goal. Just as exhaustion was starting to wear at him they melted away and he was left facing their master._

" _Harry Potter, come to die." Voldemort hissed out, his red eyes glowing with malevolence._

" _I don't think so, Tom. This will end today!"_

" _So it will." Harry dodged to the side as bolts of green light began flying towards him. He desperately began firing any and every curse he could think of back at his nemesis. It only took seconds for the Dark Lord's casting speed to overwhelm Harry and one of the green curses struck him in the middle of his chest. To both their surprises absolutely nothing happened. Voldemort cast another Killing Curse, sounding both worried and confused. Harry watched in fascination as this curse too splashed harmlessly against his chest. Voldemort screamed his rage to the skies above them and shook his wand in his fist, watching as it sputtered out some sparks. Flipping it over Voldemort wrenched open the bottom of his wand and checked the batteries. While his enemy was distracted Harry pointed his wand and lashed out with the Priori Incantatem effect. It struck Voldemort like lightning and dropped him to the ground, obviously dead._

_Ginny came running towards him across the grounds of Hogwarts, her red hair streaming behind her like a victory banner. Harry couldn't work out why her hair seemed to be longer than Ginny herself, but it didn't seem to be getting in her way so he wasn't going to complain about it. As the youngest Weasley reached the site of the battle she came to a stop next to Voldemort's smoking remains._

" _Oh, Harry, what have you done?" she tutted, shaking her head. She knelt down next to the defeated Dark Lord and placed her hand on his forehead. To Harry's horror Voldemort sucked in a gasping breath and his body was lifted off of the ground, following Ginny's hand until it was standing again. When Ginny pulled her hand away from Voldemort's forehead Harry could see that he had been completely healed. "There, that's better isn't it? Don't worry, Harry. I know you'd never be truly happy unless you were fighting him." Ginny's giggles mixed with Voldemort's maniacal cackling until her familiar laugh had turned into Bellatrix's mad screams._

" _Don't worry, Baby Potter. I'll just keep resurrecting the Dark Lord for you to fight. I want you to be happy. You'll be able to fight him for the rest of your life! Won't that be fun, Baaaby Poooooottteeeeeeeer?!"_

Harry shot straight up in bed, gasping for air as his body pumped adrenaline through his veins. His wand was in his hand and tracking around the room he was in as he scanned it for threats. Slowly his breathing calmed back down to a more normal rate and Harry began to make sense of what he was seeing. He recognised the grey canvas of the tent walls around him. As his eyes grew more used to the darkness around him he identified a lump on the other side of the tent that he knew would be Hermione, sleeping on her own camping cot. Looking past his feet he couldn't see the other lump that would have indicated his other best friend's sleeping form. All at once the absence of snoring and the sight of the empty bed on the boys' side of the tent came together to slam a memory into Harry's mind.  _Ron's gone. He left us out here; abandoned us._

Harry felt his stomach twist as he remembered his friend's furious departure and the way Hermione had cried all night after she hadn't been able to find him outside. He was sick with the knowledge that their trio was down to two as of a few hours ago and that their mission had just become that much harder as he and Hermione would now have to do the work of three people.  _I'm not going to be getting back to sleep tonight_ Harry realised. Between the adrenaline from the nightmare and the realisation of Ron's absence his body was as awake as it was going to get. He quietly summoned his glasses and put them on his nose before slipping out of bed.

To get to the living room area of the tent Harry had to pass Hermione's bunk and he couldn't help but notice the way she seemed to be trembling under her blanket.  _Ancients, but we half-arsed the preparation. We should have realised that we wouldn't be able to hack it with these ratty things._ A flick of his wand brought his own blanket flying over from his cot. Before he could cover his best friend with it inspiration struck and another flick of his wand cast a Warming Charm over Hermione's own blanket first. Harry carefully tucked his blanket around his best friend and found his hand lingering on a lock of hair that he moved to the side so he could see her sleeping face.  _I hate that she looks stressed even when she's sleeping._  He mentally shook himself as he realised what he was doing and gently tucked the lock of hair behind her ear. He retreated to the living area as quietly as he could before throwing up a Silencing Charm between them to make sure that he wouldn't wake Hermione.  _Goodness knows she needs her rest. I didn't even know you could exhaust yourself crying._

As he let his thoughts wander Harry moved around lighting the gas lamp that hung over the table and checking that there was still enough water left in the kettle before setting it to boil. In the end the menial tasks couldn't save him from his thoughts wandering into unpleasant territory though.

It was hardly the first time that he'd had this particular nightmare. In fact he'd started having it over the summer and he wasn't under any illusions of why that might be. ' _I knew you wouldn't be happy unless you were hunting Voldemort. Maybe that's why I like you so much.'_ Harry couldn't stop the shudder that shot through him as Ginny's voice rang out of his memories. Hearing that had been a body blow that had finally landed when he had been lying in his bed the night after Dumbledore's funeral. He had shot up much like he had a few minutes ago as horror set in.  _She expects me to be happy hunting Voldemort. It's the reason she likes me._

To be fair to Ginny not all of his horror had come directly from the fact that  _she_ thought that. A large part of it was due to the fact that if his girlfriend, the person who was supposed to know him best, could think that then it was almost guaranteed that the rest of the wizarding world would have the same idea or another one that was equally wrong-headed. In that moment, lying in his bed in Gryffindor tower, Harry Potter had realised that if he saved the world no one would ever take the time to properly get to know him. A single tear had slid down his cheek as a certainty crystallised in his mind:  _If I do this I will never have the loving family that I dreamt of. If I date a witch I will forever know that they aren't seeing me. If I date a muggle I will be forced to hide most of my life from her until after we're married which feels like it would be one of the worst things you could do to someone you profess to love. Of course if I don't do this there won't be anyone to start a family with at all._ Either way Harry's dreams would never come true and that was a painful realisation.

The whistling of the boiling kettle pulled Harry from his musings and he walked over to pull the whistle off the spout and pour the hot water over the sad looking tea bag in the battered camping mug. As the tea steeped Harry's thoughts went back to his relationship with Ginny.  _I can't really put all the blame on her. In all honesty if she had no idea who I was then it would be equally true to say that I had no idea who she was. After all, I thought that she knew me better than anyone else._

_Liar. You've always known that it was never_ your  _girlfriend who knew you best, it was Ron's._  The truth of that statement was painful to face on several levels. It was easy to admit that Hermione was the one person in this world who knew him better than any other. It was altogether harder to admit that he was perfectly aware of the fact that the one thing he wanted from a girlfriend he already had with her. He didn't think it was wrong that they had that level of understanding between them, but he was aware that any woman that he would ever consider dating would be measured against Hermione Granger.  _It might not be wrong of me to have that level of understanding with Hermione but it_ is  _patently unfair to any and all of my future girlfriends to compare them to her._ Harry shook his head ruefully as he tried to imagine the force of nature that would be the woman who could measure up to his best friend.

His lighter thoughts died a quick death as he remembered that he had to think of that same best friend as Ron's girlfriend; a fact that was all the more painful for what had happened earlier.  _When you look at it like that I can forgive him for ditching me; this is an absolutely thankless, gruelling mission and he was right that I'm flailing about in the dark without a clue as to what I'm doing… but how could he abandon Hermione? I'm starting to think that 'dating' doesn't mean what I think it does._  Harry could feel his first instinct welling up in him and was slightly ashamed that it was 'ask Hermione'.  _Don't be a heartless bastard, Potter. 'Hey, Hermione? I know you're an absolute wreck over Ron leaving, but would you mind letting me rub salt in the wound to satisfy my curiosity?' Sure, why not dump the whole mission on her shoulders while you're at it?_

Still chastising himself for even thinking, however briefly, of adding to Hermione's burden that way Harry took the teabag out of the mug and threw it away with slightly more force than strictly necessary. He stomped over to the table, taking full advantage of the Silencing Charm he'd put up earlier, and flung himself into one of the chairs after setting his mug on the table. As his chuntering thoughts calmed down Harry realised that he had unknowingly asked a question that he felt he really needed an answer to.  _Why_ did  _Ron abandon Hermione? What was it that pushed him over that line?_

_The locket probably played at least a part in what happened; that damn thing just_ oozes  _evil._  Harry took a moment to glare at the offending treasure where it still lay on one of the chairs.  _I wish Hermione had never made me read those damn Lord of the Rings books. Every time I see that thing I think of how the Ring was able to induce its surroundings to move it closer to its master. The only way to safely move it around was to give it to someone who wouldn't give into it's call… and Ron couldn't resist it; not entirely._  Harry sighed as he tried to remember the words his friend had said before storming out of the tent.

There is no way that the locket could have done this by itself; Ron's stronger than that. He mentioned worrying about his family… that could have given the horcrux something to manipulate. There was nothing we could do about that that we aren't already doing though. The only way to get everyone out of danger is to end this war and to do that we need to find and destroy Voldemort's horcruxes. What else did he say?

_"It's not like I'm not having the time of my life here, you know, with my arm mangled and nothing to eat and freezing my backside off every night. I just hoped, you know, after we'd been running round a few weeks, we'd have achieved something."_ Harry could hear the words in his memory as clearly as if they had just been spoken out loud.  _I just don't understand it. We're all cold and hungry. Pain is a fact of life. How could those things drive Ron to the kind of mental state that the locket could exploit? I had worse some winters at the Dursleys, for pity's sake._ Suddenly Harry felt like he had had a bucket of ice water dumped down his spine.  _I've had worse at the Dursleys… Ron and Hermione had families that loved them… I've been an idiot!_

_When I told them that we'd be in for hard times we all understood that to mean something different. Ron probably thinks that 'going without food' means 'going without food for a day'. 'Cold' might mean 'weather I would wear a coat in'._  As the realisation percolated through his understanding Harry dropped his head into his hands and groaned.  _Damn it, I should have seen this coming. If I had realised it sooner I might have been able to prevent that ancients cursed horcrux from messing with my friend's head. Ron could still be here with us and Hermione wouldn't be lying in her bed with tear tracks staining her cheeks._

For the second time in a matter of minutes Harry froze as an epiphany washed over him.  _Hermione is still here… but she might succumb to the locket next if I don't do something._ The thought of Hermione not being there felt like staring into a bottomless abyss and it  _terrified_  Harry. If Hermione left he might as well just fire an Avada Kedavra into his own face. Desperately Harry fought his emotions back and beat them into submission so that he could think about the recently uncovered problem rationally; well, without gibbering in terror at least.

_Right… Hermione is still here. She hasn't left yet; focus on that._ The fact that Hermione was still here despite having faced the locket's predations didn't really surprise Harry after a bit of thought.  _Anyone who knows Hermione knows that she's easily the strongest of the three of us. I can't afford to rely on her strength until it breaks though so think! What can I do to minimise the burden on Hermione?_ The first things Harry went through were the basic needs that Ron had listed.  _I need to make sure that she is at least warm and well fed. Hermione doesn't attach the same level of importance to those things as Ron does, but she's never faced real starvation either._ Now that Harry had realised that his experiences with the Dursleys had left him better prepared to face the consequences of starvation he started mentally revising their rationing to account for how much deprivation each of them could take. He got up to check the kitchen cupboards and was dismayed at how bare they were.  _We'll have to go shopping._ Harry remembered how Hermione had reacted to the idea of heading out to buy supplies and amended his resolution to ' _I_  need to go shopping'.  _I'll also have to hide what I'm doing from Hermione. If she's worrying needlessly then I'll have failed in my task of keeping her safe from the locket. The trick will be to find a time when I can head out while the shops are still open. Nothing for it but to keep my eyes open and be ready to take any chance I get._ Harry made a shopping list of things he could easily pass off as non-perishables that he had 'found' in a cupboard.  _I may have to make up a story about a Notice-Me-Not Charm gone wrong or something, but if I'm right Hermione will be too hungry to look at the story too closely… at least I hope she won't look at it too closely._

Harry also resolved to find some hot water bottles or something that could provide them with extra warmth that he could find in this 'hidden cabinet'.  _I wonder which one I should tell Hermione I found these things in… of course!_ Harry quickly emptied out one of the cupboards and cast as strong a Notice-Me-Not charm on it as he could. Grinning to himself in satisfaction Harry made his way back over to the table and picked up his tea only to discover that it was stone cold. Even that couldn't dampen his mood and he forced himself to drink the stuff rather than throw it out and waste it.  _Come morning we will be starting a new chapter in this hunt, even if I will be the only one who knows about it._  With a happy grin Harry picked up the book he had been reading before Hermione had worked out that they needed the Sword of Gryffindor.

:-:-:-:-:

Harry shot up with a jerk from where his face was pressed into something unfamiliar. A surprised look revealed that he had apparently fallen asleep on the book he had been reading.  _Guess I was able to fall asleep again after all_ Harry thought to himself as he stretched the kinks out of his back. Something popped and Harry shivered as he realised that the early morning chill felt like it had settled into his bones. He grabbed the bucket they kept next to the stove and headed out to fill it in the stream just within the protective spells that they had set up. A minute later he was back in the tent and even colder from both the morning air outside the tent and a splash of water that had sloshed over the edge of the bucket in a moment of inattentiveness. Harry set the water down and cast the Purifying Charm that Hermione had taught him once they had been forced to start camping.

Once he had the kettle filled and placed on its hob again Harry moved over to the sleeping area to check on Hermione. He saw that she was sleeping peacefully.  _Good. I'll just let her sleep. She needs it._  Harry sat at the table while he waited for the kettle to boil and reviewed the decisions he had made the night before. He was relieved that they held up in the clear light of day as well as they had a few hours earlier. Feeling his stomach growl Harry considered how he would start to put his plan into action. In the end he decided that he would make breakfast as if there were still three of them. He carefully loaded the baked beans and toast onto two plates before scraping most of the food onto one of them which he placed under a Warming Charm to wait for Hermione. Harry quickly ate his 'Dursley portion' and carefully left the dirty plate next to the sink so that Hermione would notice it.

Once he'd finished Harry picked his book up again and resumed his studying. An hour later Hermione still hadn't woken up and Harry was berating himself for not having taken the first opportunity that had arisen to do the necessary shopping.  _The possibility that she would wake up while I was gone is just too great_  he tried to remind himself. Following that thought led Harry to consider what might happen if Hermione's fears about visiting a store came true.  _I don't really think that I'll be attacked in the muggle world. I'll even use a glamour so that there is no way for people who might run into a wizard to accidentally pass on that they've seen me. Still, what should I do if something_ does  _happen?_

In the end Harry decided to write a letter to Hermione in which he explained why he had made his decision. He slipped it into the Notice-Me-Not Charmed cupboard for now.  _I'll leave it on my bed under another charm when I leave. If I die then the charm will fail and Hermione will know that she should run away from here and go hide with her parents._ It was a morbid and unsettling precaution to take, but Harry couldn't justify leaving Hermione in the dark if something should happen to him against all odds. He was still working through having a tangible confirmation of his own mortality when he heard a noise coming from the direction of the sleeping area. Harry's head jerked towards the sound and he was met with the sight of a thoroughly depressed looking Hermione Granger. Her hair was mussed and bushier-looking than usual, her eyes were bleary and everything about her stance made it seem like she was being weighed down by invisible restraints.

"Good morning, Hermione." he tried. Hermione's eyes came up to meet his and Harry felt something in his chest constrict at the empty look in those brown orbs. "There's breakfast under a Warming Charm." Hermione nodded slightly and shuffled over to the counter to pick up the plate and a fork before shuffling over to the table and making a start on her breakfast. Harry quickly noticed that she was pushing her food around on her plate more than she was eating it.  _Oh no, you don't. I'm not letting you fall prey to that damn horcrux and it starts with getting you to eat._  "Hermione, you need to eat. We need to keep our strength up." Hermione shot him a dirty glare but shovelled a forkful of beans into her mouth and chewed.  _Well, at least it's a reaction. I'll go step by step if I have to._  Harry was treated to another glare when Hermione had finished her breakfast, but he hoped that it was down to Hermione's general mood and not an indication that he was too late to prevent his best friend from following Ron out the door.

For the rest of the day the two teens worked their way through the books in front of them in silence. Harry kept a surreptitious eye on Hermione and more than once caught her looking up hopefully at the entrance to the tent. As the day passed her face became more and more dejected every time she realised that whatever had drawn her attention in that direction wasn't Ron coming back to them; to her. Halfway through the afternoon Hermione had apparently had all she could handle of the tension that hoping Ron would return had produced. She slammed her book shut and shot to her feet.

"I'm going to bed." They were the first and only words she had spoken all day. Harry watched her stalk into the sleeping area and drop onto her bed, turning her back on him.  _If she falls asleep I'll have to go out and do our shopping._ It disturbed Harry that he was thinking so coldly and clinically about the opportunities that Hermione's misery provided.  _I have no idea how to help her other than the plan I came up with last night. After today I think I may have underestimated the effect that Ron leaving would have on her though. If I'm not careful that will be the weakness that the horcrux tries to exploit._ Since he was waiting for Hermione to fall asleep anyway Harry tried to think of ways to pull her out of her funk. Unfortunately he soon realised that he might possibly be the worst possible option to help Hermione with an emotional problem.  _She's the one I go to for help with this sort of thing. How am I supposed to help her? What do I do?_

He set the problem aside for the moment to concentrate on the problem he  _could_  solve. The rise and fall of Hermione's ribcage slowly became more regular. Harry waited a few minutes longer to be sure that he would be able to leave and come back unnoticed. Finally he couldn't put his task off any more or he would run the risk of ending up in the situation he had been in this morning where the chance of Hermione waking up became too great to risk leaving.

Harry stood up and retrieved his letter from the charmed cupboard. He placed it on his pillow and added another powerful Notice-Me-Not Charm. With one final look at his sleeping friend Harry walked out of the tent, casting a Silencing Charm as he left so that Hermione wouldn't be woken up by the sound of his apparition. A quick glamour charm have him nondescript brown hair and eyes. Taking a deep breath Harry focused on his magic and disappeared with a soft crack.

He reappeared outside a shopping centre in Little Whinging and started walking. He ignored all the stores and made his way over to his first target: an ATM from which he remembered Aunt Petunia withdrawing money one of the few times he had been allowed out of the house with her and Dudley. He found it easily enough considering he hadn't been sure of exactly where it was and then settled in to wait. Thankfully the machine saw quite a bit of use and Harry didn't have to wait long for someone to approach it and insert their card. Harry drew his wand and forced down the wave of guilt over what he was about to do. As the little slot opened to disgorge the requested amount of money Harry reached his magic as deeply into the machine as he could and non-verbally cast his spell.  _Accio banknotes._

The woman who had made the original withdrawal barely had time to get her own money out of the way before the machine began vomiting a storm of banknotes in all denominations. All around Harry the shopping centre seemed to come to a halt as everyone saw the money spewing forth. For a heartbeat nobody moved and then, as if at some unspoken signal, the race was on. Everyone ran as fast as they could to get at the free money landing on the side-walk and Harry made sure to look like one of the crowd as he scrabbled to get enough of the acutely redistributed wealth to accomplish the next step of his plan. He managed to collect roughly a thousand pounds before he escaped the scrum of people wanting every last banknote they could get their hands on. As he hurried to an out of the way spot for another apparition Harry made himself a silent promise.  _After the war ends I'll convert some galleons and pay the bank back._ It didn't completely stop the feeling that he had finally become what the Dursleys had always told the neighbours he was: a criminal.

Forcing himself to concentrate on his next destination Harry popped out of existence and reappeared behind a supermarket a few towns over that Petunia had visited on occasion to buy food in bulk for her ever growing son and husband. This location Harry was more familiar with considering how often he had been drafted to carry the purchases out to the car and later into the kitchen. Harry walked calmly through the sliding doors and into the store itself. He grabbed a trolley and started filling it with the groceries he had planned out. He bought rice and pasta to last them for months, grabbed tins of beans and vegetables by the dozen and shoved tinned tuna and salmon on top of it all until he was worried the trolley might give way. He found bags of oatmeal and tubs of powdered milk that would make them a good breakfast and as a finishing touch grabbed some spices, a few packets of raisins and some tinned fruits to make sure that he could introduce some variety on special occasions. While he hadn't planned on it he also collected several boxes of tea, reasoning that they'd be grateful for a warm drink in the winter months to come.

When he got to the till he saw the eyes of the girl working there widen considerably. Harry grinned apologetically and started loading his groceries onto the belt. The girl picked up a phone and asked for some help in a hurried tone before hanging up and starting to process Harry's shopping. The tins and packets were just starting to build up on the far side of the till when another employee, this one a pimply faced boy, came running up to them. He took one look at the mass of groceries and immediately jumped in to start packing them into bags. By the time Harry had finished loading everything onto the belt he could start putting the bags back in the trolley.

"Is that everything, sir?" the girl behind the till asked, sounding like she still hadn't quite come to terms with the idea of someone buying so much.

"Unless you could point me in the direction of a couple of hot water bottles I think this should be it." Harry responded, half hoping that he had missed an aisle somewhere on his spree.

"Um, I don't know, sir. My boyfriend and I did get some wonderful hot stone massages the other day though."

"Hot stone massages?" Harry wondered.

"Oh yes, sir!" the girl gushed. "Why, what they do is heat up some really smooth river stones and use them to massage your body. The therapist even told us that people have been using hot rocks for all sorts of things since thousands of years ago. I think she even mentioned that wrapping them in animal skins is how cavemen stayed warm in the winter." Suddenly the girl blushed. "Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to carry on like that."

"Not at all. In fact I think I may have to look into this hot stone thing if it comes so highly recommended."  _I have a task for when I get back to the tent! Hot stones… how did we not think of that if even cavemen came up with it?!_

The girl enthusiastically gave Harry the address to the spa she and her boyfriend had visited and Harry pretended to pay attention. Once everything was loaded up and the necessary information exchanged, Harry paid three-quarters of his ill-gotten money for the food. He declined any help to get everything into his car. A quick visit to the spot where he had appeared and Harry's pockets were bulging with dozens of shrunken and lightened bags. He made sure to drop off the trolley and spared a wave for the two employees who had helped him. Finally Harry apparated back to the tent.

His first move was to make sure that Hermione hadn't woken to find him gone, but she was thankfully still asleep. Harry sorted out the groceries and placed what he considered a reasonable selection in the charmed cupboard. The rest of his haul was hidden under his bed and a veritable fortress of concealing charms. Collapsing in one of the chairs in the living area, Harry breathed out a sigh of relief.  _Mission accomplished. Now I just need to figure out how we're going to 'discover' the charmed cupboard. Hermione finding it would make it the most believable, but I have no idea how to make that happen._

Shrugging it off for now Harry headed back out of the tent and over to the stream where he had gotten their water that morning. He walked along the bank scanning it for suitable stones, even if he had no idea what that might be.  _That girl said that they used smooth stones so I guess I'll just look for those._  Harry kept at his task until he had a considerable pile of palm sized stones sitting on the bank. By then he was once again starting to feel the November chill settling deep into his body. He rushed back into the tent and loaded the stones into the oven and turned it on. He didn't know how long they might have to bake, but there was only one way to find out.

To kill some time while he waited for the stones to heat up, Harry picked up the book Hermione had been reading in the hope that it would contain a hint for creating a horcrux detection spell.  _She really is brilliant._  The book itself was full of distasteful spells that Harry would rather never have known. He realised that to fight the darkness they were faced with they would need to know about it, but even with everything they had learnt about the Dark Arts recently they weren't a step closer to their ultimate goal of finding Voldemort's horcruxes. Harry just resigned himself to having to work through the books anyway.  _I promised that I would do anything I could to reduce the pressure on Hermione. I may not be able to take over the research but I can at least make sure that she doesn't have to explain every little thing to me on top of that._  The memory of Ron leaving and the anguish it brought were fresh enough that Harry managed to find the motivation to study even the Dark Arts in the hope that it would keep Hermione by his side a little longer.  _The world has officially stopped making sense._

After about half an hour Harry checked on the stones and nearly scorched his fingers.  _Note to self: stones aren't pies, don't bake them like they are._ Harry levitated the rocks into a blanket and wrapped them up. He used a spell to check their temperature every so often and occasionally set the bundle in his lap to get a better feel for what the numbers meant. Eventually the stones in the blanket cooled down enough that they were very comfortable to keep a hold of while reading.

He had managed to make slow but stubborn progress through the book by the time Hermione stirred again. She came out of the sleeping area and immediately started drawing out pots and pans from the cupboards. Harry decided to just let her get on with it.  _Cooking can be a wonderful distraction and I get the feeling that's something she could use right now._ He watched as his best friend threw together some of their meagre stores to make them as tasty a meal as she could. He noticed that, like he had that morning, she was making the same amount she would have if Ron was still with them. Hermione herself didn't seem to notice until she had a spoonful hanging over a third plate and she froze. Her inaction didn't last long and the rest of the meal was efficiently split over the two plates they would actually be using.

Harry didn't bring it up as Hermione set the plates on the table and only thanked her for the meal. Her quiet nod and red-rimmed, hollow eyes forced him to revise his estimation of how desperately he needed to find a way to get her past her grief.  _It's too bad that we only have books on the Dark Arts, rather than useful topics like how to deal with emotional girls._ Harry's grumbling thought brought with it a feeling that was slowly becoming familiar: the urge to slap himself for overlooking something obvious.  _I_ have  _a book on dealing with girls. I still have the birthday present Ron gave me. I'm not entirely sure if it'll have a chapter on dealing with a crying witch, but it would stupid not to check it._

Harry decided that he would once again have to wait until Hermione was asleep since he doubted that she would be too pleased with the existence of that particular book. Normally Harry would take his chances with a displeased Hermione, but with how volatile her mood had been today he worried that angering her might see her running off like Ron had.  _Or worse: running off more competently than Ron did. He just left, Hermione would take things with her that she would need to survive. I would be completely and utterly sunk if that happened._

After dinner Harry did the dishes while Hermione settled in to read. Once he joined her Harry found that he had even more trouble focusing on his book than before now that he knew that there was another book in the tent that he desperately wanted to read. The long day took its toll on him though and in the end it was Harry who had to surrender and go to bed first. Hermione looked at him oddly when instead of heading into the bathroom to brush his teeth and get changed Harry turned on the oven instead.

"Harry, what on earth are you doing?"

"I'm going to heat up some rocks. We can keep them in bed with us like hot water bottles and I thought that might make the nights more bearable." Seeing Hermione with her mouth hanging open like a fish was an uncommon sight at the best of times. Harry couldn't help but feel some slight enjoyment from it. While the rocks were baking Harry went through his bedtime routine. He was wearing several layers of pyjamas when he went to check on the temperature of the stones. It was a little higher than perfect, but that would only mean that the heat would last longer after he went to bed. He took the robes he had worn to Bill and Fleur's wedding and used the sleeves to tie a knot in one end. He levitated about a third of the rocks into his makeshift sack and the rest into the blanket he had used that afternoon. He handed the blanket to Hermione whose curiosity turned into a pleasantly surprised look when she felt the warmth seeping out of the bundle and into her body.

"Don't stay up too late." Harry said with a small smile on his face. He picked up his own bundle and knotted the open end before slipping it under the blanket on his bed. He crawled in and barely had time to notice the difference between this and earlier nights before slumber claimed him.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hermione felt almost weightless as she flew her broom. On either side of her Harry and Ron were riding their own brooms. She couldn't see the ground anywhere, but it was clear that they were constantly flying in one direction. Harry was staring straight ahead the whole time, but Ron would occasionally glance to the side and grin or wink at her. As they kept flying Hermione noticed that there were several dark clouds gathering on the horizon in front of them. She wondered if they were heading for those clouds or whether their goal was somewhere behind them._

_As they got closer and closer to the clouds Hermione saw Ron look to the side more and more, but she was no longer the one he was looking at. Harry was still staring straight ahead and the only indication that anything had changed was the tightening around his eyes. She couldn't tell if he had noticed Ron's glares. She wanted to ask him, but when she opened her mouth no words came out. She thought that maybe they were flying too fast and the wind was tearing the sound away from her mouth before even she could hear it._

" _Do you even have any idea what you're doing?" Or maybe there was something else going on. Ron's voice didn't draw a single response from Harry, he just kept staring at the clouds which were starting to come much closer. "Are you too much of a coward to answer? Or are you simply leading us to our doom?"_

" _Ron, stop it." she begged, not wanting the two boys to fight. She wasn't sure what would happen if they did, but she was sure that it would be bad. As soon as the words had left her mouth the clouds surged forwards and swallowed the three teens. Hermione couldn't see anything except featureless grey in every direction. She noticed that the air around her had grown much colder without her noticing._

" _He's going to kill you, you know?" Ron's voice came from the clouds. "He's going to kill you and he isn't even going to notice that you've died. He's never noticed you."_

" _That's not true!"_

" _You know it is. You_ are  _the brightest witch of your age after all, aren't you? You can see where this is going. You know he is going to fail."_

" _No! We're going to-" Hermione's voice cut off as Ron's face suddenly burst out of the clouds in front of her. He was wearing a malevolent smirk that she hadn't known he was even capable of._

" _You're going to what? Find the horcruxes? Where? Destroy them? How?" There was a cruel, mocking edge to Ron's voice. "Harry Potter isn't the chosen one. How can he be if a muggleborn witch had to do all his work, all his_ thinking  _for him all these years? You think that he can do this if he can't even do his homework?" Hermione was shaking her head in dismay as Ron's voice snaked around her. It burrowed into her confidence and gnawed at the foundations of things she had been sure of even just a second ago. "All is not lost. I can still save you. Come with me. Come with me and leave Potter to wallow and wail in his incompetence."_

" _No! I promised Harry I would help him and that's what I'm going to do."_

" _Fool." Hermione felt something shove her in the side and she felt herself slipping off of the broom. It only took seconds for her to plummet out of the bottom of the clouds she had been flying in. She could hear the wind howling around her. Below her she could see a frozen wasteland with jagged shards of ice jutting up. Desperately she looked around for something, anything, that might help her now. She was shocked when she saw Harry's face beside her. He was riding his broom down in one of his signature dives, but his eyes were watching her with a detached sort of curiosity._

" _Harry! Help me!" she screamed out in desperation. He didn't even blink. Ron's words from a moment before about Harry killing her echoed around her. "Harry, please!" she was almost sobbing in terror now. Suddenly Harry's face seemed to come into a sharper focus and his expression was worried. She felt him shaking her shoulder, but she couldn't remember seeing his hand move._

" _Hermione! Hermione, wake up!"_  With a gasp Hermione shot into a sitting position. She looked around wildly and for a moment she thought she was back in the clouds. The wind was still howling and the world around her was grey. Slowly she became aware of the fact that she was sitting on a cot, not a broom and that the mass of grey around her was the walls of the tent. She also noticed that Harry's concerned eyes were very close to her and that he apparently still had a hold of her shoulders. "Hermione?" She nodded to show that she had heard him but was more focused on trying to get herself back under control.  _It was a dream. It was just a dream._

"I'm alright, Harry. I'm sorry for waking you."

"You didn't wake me. I've been up for a while already." Hermione could see the hesitant way he was looking at her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, it was just a nightmare." she tried to reassure him.  _With everything that's going on it wasn't even a strange nightmare._  Harry was still looking at her oddly though. Unexpectedly he leant forward and wrapped his arms around her. Hermione froze for a moment.  _Harry's… hugging me? Harry never initiates a hug._  It was unexpected but Hermione found that she was already melting into the embrace. Deciding to go with the flow for now she lifted her arms and brought them around her friend as she drew comfort from his solid presence. Once she felt a bit more grounded she drew back and smiled at him. "What brought that on then?"

"Um, well,... I was just trying to do what I thought you would do for me in this situation." Seeing Harry being adorably awkward about something as simple as a hug made Hermione feel like the world wasn't totally lost to them yet.  _I'm glad this war hasn't changed us to the point where I might never see that again. It's strangely reassuring._

"Well, thank you, Harry. I hadn't realised how much I needed a hug." Harry just smiled at her and Hermione shooed him off of her bed so that she could get up. She slipped her feet into the shoes she had waiting on the floor and shuddered for a moment as she wondered if they were actually any warmer than the ground would have been. She knew that it was a nonsensical thought, but it felt like there was a kind of whimsy to the morning.  _It almost feels like something is going to happen today; or maybe something has already happened. Either way change is in the air somehow._  Hermione decided not to focus on the feeling too much so that if it turned out to be nothing she wouldn't be too disappointed. She followed Harry out into the living area of the tent. As she walked she noticed that she could still hear the howling wind from her dream. Her attention was drawn to the walls of the tent trembling and twitching in tandem with the sound.  _I guess we're caught in an actual storm. I must have heard it in my sleep and incorporated it into the dream._ Hermione was drawn from her thoughts by Harry's voice.

"There's breakfast for you under a Warming Charm." he told her while pointing at the counter.  _Again?_  It didn't sit well with Hermione that Harry was eating breakfast without her.  _Either I'm sleeping in more or Harry's sleeping less and we need neither._ As she picked up her plate she noticed the dirty one waiting next to the sink.  _At least Harry really does seem to be eating. There's something strange about that plate though. It feels like it's on display for me and that's… unlike Harry._  She sat down across from her friend and started eating. She didn't really taste the food as she tried to pin down what exactly was bothering her about Harry leaving his plate out. She knew there was something, but it was just eluding her grasp.

"Hermione?" Harry was wearing his 'I have to tell you something and you're not going to like it' face. He took a deep breath. "I think we need to decide how much longer we're going to stay here. I don't like the idea of packing up camp in this storm, so not today, but… I think we need a deadline."

"A deadline? Who are you and what have you done with Harry Potter?" The joke was stillborn and in the silence that followed Harry just kept looking at her.  _I think that he'd accept whatever I decide, even if it carried more risk. He is right though that we need a deadline. We can't just keep convincing ourselves that maybe tomorrow…_ he  _will come back to us. We have a mission._ "I agree that we should wait out the storm at least. Two more days. We'll have been here five days by then and that's all we dare risk." Hermione decided, ignoring the pain in her chest of her heart tearing itself apart. The reminder that she'd been abandoned loomed over her and suddenly she was having difficulty breathing. Her vision narrowed and her pulse thundered in her ears.

"Hermione!" She felt a hand grab under the back of her collar and something was torn over her head catching a few hairs and scraping her ears as it went. Immediately the darkness retreated and she could breath again. Focusing on Harry she saw that he was alternating between looks of concern at her and looks of disgust at the golden necklace in his hand. "Were you wearing this all night?"

"I-... I don't know." The fact that she really didn't remember scared Hermione more than she was willing to admit.

"No wonder you had a nightmare then. This thing was probably feeding it."

"You really think so?"

"Considering who this is a piece of? Yeah, sounds about right." Harry said grimly. Hermione was reminded of all the mornings her friend had had bags under his eyes over the last two and a half years.  _If anyone would know, it would be Harry._

"Alright, we'll have to minimise our contact with that thing while we're sleeping. It might affect us while we're awake, but we can handle that if we can get some rest. I'll draw up a schedule." It went unsaid that the schedule would be heavier now that there were only two of them. Once again Hermione felt a pang of loss at Ron's abandonment, but without the locket interfering it was nowhere near as overwhelming. In order to forget about that feeling Hermione decided to do what she did best: research.

For the past few weeks she had been focusing on creating a horcrux detection charm without much success, but as a result of her dream she had realised something else that she might have to work on.  _I couldn't do anything while falling. Sure it was a dream, but it did highlight something that could rather easily end up killing me_ if  _I don't plan for it. I'm going to make You Know Who regret ever trying to interfere with my mind._  Grabbing a book on magical travel, Hermione began her study of the ways witches and wizards could get from place to place. It was a branch of magic she had largely ignored so far since she could apparate and that had been enough.  _So I need something that I can use even when I can't properly focus or apparition will not suffice for some other reason. Portkeys look promising, but are fairly easily warded against. If I can figure out how to tweak the spell just a little it may render all existing wards useless until someone figures out what I've done._

The idea galvanised Hermione and she drew a roll of parchment towards her and started working out the arithmantic calculations involved in the creation of a portkey. She barely noticed a plate of food appearing next to her about halfway through one of her equations, nor the next one several equations later. Her entire being was focused on solving the problem in front of her. When a hand started shaking her shoulder she swatted at it in annoyance.

"Hermione." came Harry's voice, far louder than necessary.

"What?!" she snapped as he pulled her out of what she was sure was going to be the breakthrough to getting this to work.

"It's past midnight and you're still working. Your fingers are turning blue from the cold and unless you can use a quill while wearing your mittens you're done for the day." he spoke in a calm voice, though that one, raised eyebrow almost screamed a challenge at her to disagree with him. Hermione shot a disgruntled look around the tent which caused her rebuttal to die in her throat. She could see that it was pitch dark outside and that the light she was working by had come from the gas lamp over the table. She looked at her hands and to her dismay had to admit that Harry was right and her fingers did look a little blue. Admitting that was apparently the signal to let her body feel the cold and she shivered.

"H-h-have I b-been w-working a-a-all d-day?" she asked through suddenly chattering teeth.

"Yes, you have and it's time to stop." Harry told her as he shoved a bundle into her hands. She almost moaned at the warmth coming from it.  _That is just typically Harry. Ask him to name the Five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law and I'd be surprised if he knew two of them. Ask him to brew a healing potion and it would be a coin toss whether it would save you or poison you. Shiver once and he hands you a better hot water bottle because he had the presence of mind to think about using hot rocks._  At that moment it wouldn't have taken much to get Hermione to claim that the hot rocks were a better use of brain power as she clutched them to her frozen body. When Harry also placed a cup of hot tea in front of her she could have kissed him. Instead she grabbed the beverage and started gulping it down, sighing in contentment as she set the mug back down.

"Thank you, Harry. I needed that." He shot her a knowing smile, but didn't comment. Instead he just refilled her mug.

"Get warmed up. You need a good night's sleep tonight. After all, it looks like you were close to a breakthrough."

"You could tell? I thought you didn't know the first thing about arithmancy?" Hermione was shocked at the idea that Harry might have been hiding that kind of academic talent.

"I don't. I know quite a bit about you though and you looked like you usually do when you're about to do something frighteningly brilliant. I just don't want you to stay up all night doing it in these conditions."  _Oh, Harry._  His words warmed her almost as much as the tea had and she couldn't stop the smile breaking out on her lips.  _You Know Who is an idiot. It's not going to be someone who's good at homework who wins this war. It's going to be the one that cares about people and learns what he can about them._

:-:-:-:-:

Over the next few days Hermione managed to finish the adjusted portkeys. It had only taken the realisation that the usual portkey spell specified a need to spin counter-clockwise.  _I think it was a good example of thinking like Harry: don't worry too much about the reasoning behind why the spell is the way it is, just 'flip the polarity' and see if it works. And it_ did.

Hermione had tested it out on inanimate objects first and then on a fish she had summoned from the river before finally testing it herself. The portkeys worked perfectly fine and when she had introduced the wards designed to contain them there had been precisely no difference.  _In the end it was far easier than I had expected to create these. I'll have to see if I can figure out a few more gadgets to help us. Just call me 'Q'. Or maybe I can help Harry with his studies._

While she had been working on getting her escape portkeys to work Harry had been researching Charms of all things. She knew he was also reading everything she was in an effort to do his part, but his Charms studies were entirely down to his own curiosity. Harry had told her that he wanted to know how the tent worked and was studying Space Expansion Charms to get a better feel for their new home. It was yet another thing that niggled at her as being not quite right, but other than a slightly uneasy suspicion Hermione had no reason to confront him about…  _well that's the problem isn't it? I have no idea what it is and yelling at Harry would feel too much like letting that disgusting locket win at this point so I'll just have to research that along with anything else I come across._

Not having any reason good enough to justify her suspicion, even to herself, Hermione had given Harry the notes she had taken when learning how to make her beaded bag. The honest, happy thanks she had gotten reminded her almost painfully of Hogwarts and the seventh year they were supposed to be taking there.  _Maybe, just maybe, whoever is in charge of the school once the war is over will let us return even if we're a bit too old. I'll have to find out if I can hire tutors otherwise._ Hermione was still mulling this possibility over when she stepped back into the tent but froze once she caught sight of Harry.

That unspecified feeling of suspicion came roaring back as she identified the look in his eyes, after a quick debate with herself, as satisfaction. The stress lines that had been etching themselves into his face over the past few weeks seemed to have lightened a little and his overall posture was just a little more relaxed.  _Harry's up to something. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardise the mission of his own accord and that emotion doesn't seem like something that the locket would generate unless it somehow achieved full possession of his body._

"Harry?"

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Did something happen?"

"I kind of suspect that your experiments outside were successful, but other than that? Not really." Harry's answer was slightly unexpected even if in hindsight it shouldn't be.  _If I can notice differences in his mood and daily routine then there should be no surprise that he can do the same with me. Change of tactics then. Let's see if we can get you to let something slip._

"They were actually." She pulled a leather thong that had once been the laces in one of the boots that-...  _he_  had left behind. There was a small stone with a hole pierced through it hanging from the cord that she had applied her enchantment to. "I want you to wear this from now on. It's an emergency portkey that can get through any wards. I've set it up to take us back to the tent so that we can use them the next time we go after a horcrux."

"You've figured out how to get through portkey containment wards?" Harry's voice was filled with awe as he studied the necklace she'd given him. "Hermione, you just never stop amazing me." He slipped the necklace over his neck and gave it another wonder-filled glance before grinning up at her. Hermione smiled back and decided that she'd keep some of the portkey's features to herself for now.  _I don't want to know what kind of stupid risks he'd want to take if he knew I could remotely activate his portkey._

"Here. Take this and memorise it. It's the activation phrase for your portkey." Hermione watched Harry unfold the scrap of parchment she had given him, but when his mouth opened to sound out the word she had to step in. "No! Don't say it out loud. Your portkey will activate. They're pretty exhausting to enchant so don't waste them."

"Sorry." Harry said sheepishly. "What does it mean?"

"It's a word that describes a theme in classical Greek literature. It means homecoming." Hermione explained.

"That's... appropriate. I'm impressed."  _Hmph, it's more appropriate than you know._  The word Hermione had chosen,  _nostos_ , didn't just refer to anyone going home, but an epic hero.  _And who could claim to be an epic hero in real life other than Harry? True,_ nostos _usually referred to travel by sea, but I'm sure Homer would forgive me._

"So what have you been doing?" Hermione asked to move past the silence that had fallen as Harry contemplated the activation phrase she had set on his portkey. Harry looked up and suddenly that grin was dancing on his lips again.

"Studying." There was definitely a hint of satisfaction in his voice now. "I think that I really understand Space Expansion Charms now. There's just one thing that's been bothering me: from what I've read cloth really shouldn't be able to hold magic all that well. How on earth is a tent this old not, well,  _normal_ size?"

"Well the enchantments are on the tent-poles and affect the rest of the tent. The fact that wood is only a marginally better material for enchanting than cloth is the reason that the Climate Charms are failing." Hermione had started the explanation before she had consciously made the decision to do so.

"Really? So are the enchantments only activated once we set the tent up?" Harry sounded so interested in the answer that Hermione felt herself getting drawn into the discussion.

"Well, there is a reason we had to learn the specific spells to set the tent up. I'm not really sure what the state of the tent would be if we didn't use those, but I do know that I will do unspeakably painful things to you if you decide to experiment with our only shelter this close to winter." Harry just held his hands up in surrender though the smile playing around his face wouldn't usually inspire much confidence. In this particular situation though it was just a wonderful reminder of how playful Harry could manage to be from time to time. Hermione chose to just shake her head in fond exasperation at her friend. "How about a cup of tea to keep your hands occupied just in case then?"  _Even if I'm pretty sure we're going to have to share a teabag._

"That'd be brilliant, Hermione." Harry exclaimed lighting up before something seemed to occur to him. "Will you still show me the enchantments?"

"Really now, Harry, where was all this curiosity and drive to learn while we were at school?"

"You know I need some mortal danger to get learning, Hermione." Harry grinned at her. "Remember the first task of the tournament in fourth year?"

"How could I forget? The amount of times you-" Hermione's voice cut off in a gasp as her foot caught on something and she tripped forward. She flung her hands out in front of her and barely managed to use them to catch herself against the cabinets she was walking towards. She might have avoided cracking her skull but she was sure she was going to have a bruise or two as she lay slumped against the door of one of the cabinets.

"Hermione! Are you alright?!" Harry rushed over and was immediately checking her over for injuries.

"I'll be fine, Harry. I managed to catch myself just in time." Hermione answered as she gave his shoulders a light push to get him to give her a bit of space to breathe in. He backed of slightly though she noticed him still hovering out of the corner of her eye. Hermione grabbed hold of the cabinet in front of her to pull herself to her feet and stopped when that familiar niggle of something being wrong came back stronger than ever. A quick count revealed the problem. "Harry? Was this cupboard here before?"

"I guess. It's the kitchen, where else would we have cupboards?"

"No, I mean was this particular one here all along?" Hermione was convinced that the answer to her question was 'no, it wasn't' and she crouched back down in front of it and pulled it open. "Harry! You have to see this!" Harry crouched down next to her and she could hear his gasp in her ear. In front of them was an expanded space filled to the brim with tinned and dried foods.  _We don't have to starve… this is like manna from heaven._ Which was kind of suspicious now that she stopped to think about it. "How did this get here?" Hermione mumbled almost to herself.

"This was the Weasleys' old tent, right? Considering how much food they get through during an average dinner I wouldn't be surprised if this was Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's emergency stash." Apparently Hermione's mumble hadn't been so quiet that Harry hadn't heard her.  _It makes sense... I just..._ Shaking herself Hermione let relief at her find wash away her suspicions and shot a grin at Harry.

"You forgot about the midnight snacks." she shot back, banter coming easier now that there was the prospect of actual  _food._  "I don't even know where to start." Hermione admitted as she looked into the cupboard again.

"Well, why don't you make us that tea?" Harry asked as he reached in and pulled out a box of tea which he pushed into her hands. He pulled her up into a standing position by lightly grabbing her elbows. Hermione was so relieved by her fortunate find that she didn't even resist the slight pressure. "And while you're doing that, I'll get dinner started." This time Harry's voice was filled with an eager glee as he dropped back down and half crawled into the cupboard. Harry's optimism and the prospect of a decent meal were enough to earn an answering smile from Hermione as she turned around to set the kettle to boiling, the box of tea still clutched in her hand like a treasure chest.

That night Harry and Hermione feasted on rice with tuna, peas and maize.  _I would never have believed even a year ago that such a simple meal would be one of the best I've ever eaten. The_  mood in the tent that night was jubilant as they celebrated the end of their uncertainty regarding where their next meal would come from. Their mission just seemed a little more doable on a full stomach. That night Hermione went to bed feeling more contented than she had in months, warmed by the food in her belly as much as the hot rocks in her bed.

:-:-:-:-:

Over the next few weeks Hermione discovered that she had been entirely right about Harry's instincts upon learning that he now had a portkey that could get him out of containment wards. His proposed plans became much riskier and she had to spend far more time convincing him that storming into Hogwarts or Godric's Hollow was a bad idea. The most difficult part was ignoring the small voice in the back of her mind that was starting to agree with Harry that maybe they were going to have to take some risks if they were going to end this war before the entire country had been ruined beyond repair.

So far though she had held off on agreeing to anything rash and had instead focused her energies on developing a horcrux detection spell. The problem was that the unpredictable nature of rituals made it difficult to pin down exactly what the product would react to. Hermione was lucky enough that she had a horcrux to practice on, but at the same time she was leery of being near it for any extended period of time.

With a huff of frustration Hermione threw her quill down on the mass of equations she had been working on.  _I'm too frustrated to think straight right now, I need a break._ Her gaze slid over to the tent's entrance. She knew Harry was out there keeping guard like he did every time they set up a new camp.  _I would say that he's paranoid about someone noticing a spike in magic use in the area, but I'm not sure that he is._  Harry had only come into the tent to cook them dinner and even then his eyes had kept darting over to the entrance as if he would be able to spot an enemy coming through the gap in the tent flaps. He had also turned on the gas-lamp and scolded her for ruining her eyes.  _It's kind of nice to have someone looking out for you like that. I ought to return the favour. He must be getting cold out there so maybe I can bring him some tea and a pouch of hot rocks._

Plan made, Hermione busied herself in the kitchen. She heated the oven and boiled the water. Once the stones were hot and the tea had steeped she had a quick internal debate about how best to transport two mugs and a sack of stones. The risk of spilling a hot liquid led to the decision to just levitate the mugs out while carrying the stones. Hermione took a single step out of the tent before she froze and gaped at the sight in front of her: delicate, white flakes were drifting lazily out of the darkened sky.

"Hermione?" Harry's voice brought Hermione's attention back to the world around her and she hurried over to where he was sitting on a log, huddled under a blanket.

"Here." She thrust the sack at him while keeping half an eye on her levitated mugs. Harry quickly slipped it under the blanket before he reached out and took one of the mugs. Hermione grabbed her own and quickly took a sip to fight the cold that was quickly making itself known.  _Stupid. Why didn't I bring a coat?_

"Join me?" Harry asked as he held his blanket open for her. Hermione didn't hesitate and practically dove for the extra shelter. It took some creative sitting to ensure that both she and Harry would fit under the blanket, but she managed it through the simple expedient of draping her legs over his lap like she had occasionally done back at school. As the blanket settled over her Hermione realised that there was something unusual about the blanket.  _It's dry! Even though it's snowing this blanket is dry and warm._

"Harry, did you put an Impervius Charm on this thing?"

"And a Warming Charm. I'm glad you approve."

"Obviously. It's freezing out here, Harry."

"You can go back into the tent, you know?"

"No, I'll keep you company for a while."  _The tent is nowhere near as comfortable as this._ Hermione curled in a little closer to Harry and the hot rocks resting next to her legs. As she did she noticed that he had the Marauder's Map activated under the blanket with him. She thought she could guess what he was using it for. "What is she doing?"

"Huh? What is who doing?"

"Ginny. I can see you were watching the map."

"Oh. I wasn't looking for Ginny."

"Really?! What were you looking for then?"

"I still think one of the horcruxes is at Hogwarts. I've been keeping an eye on the Death Eaters working there to see if they've gone anywhere that might be out of the ordinary."

"How long have you been doing that?"

"Since September first."  _So every time we thought he was looking for Ginny he was really looking for a horcrux…_

"Couldn't you have told us-... me?"

"Well, what else would I be doing?" Hermione was about to tell him exactly what it had looked like he was doing but Harry was already shaking his head. "Never mind. You just told me, didn't you? Looking for Ginny."

"I'm not sure what to think of the fact that it seems so obvious to you that you wouldn't be looking for your girlfriend."

"Ex-girlfriend. We broke up at Dumbledore's funeral remember?"

"I thought that was just because of the war?"

"At first it was."  _That sounds like an 'I don't want to talk about it' if I ever heard one._  Hermione tried to sit on her curiosity; she really did.

"What changed your mind?" She just couldn't help herself. This was a mystery and she couldn't stand not knowing the answer to something. Judging by the wry smile on Harry's lips he had half expected something like this.

"Ginny thought she was dating the Boy Who Lived. I thought I was dating someone who saw beyond that. Guess we were both wrong."

"Are you sure that you aren't misreading the situation?"

"She told me that she was attracted to me because I wouldn't be happy unless I was fighting this war."

"She said that?!"  _Honestly! What was the silly, little twit thinking? Anyone who knows Harry even a little bit could tell you what his reaction to that was going to be. I suppose that does mean that Harry is right: they didn't know each other at all._

 _And who in their right mind would consider this_ fun _?_  Hermione was grumbling to herself under her breath even as she reached out to give Harry a commiserating hug. The warmth in the little mini tent he had created was something she'd missed over the past few weeks.  _I don't know that I've been truly warm since we had to flee Grimmauld Place. This? This is very nice._ Hermione rested her head against Harry's shoulder as she just enjoyed the heat suffusing her body.

"So have you seen anything suspicious on the map?"

"Not yet. I'm starting to think that we should head over there and look around the castle ourselves." Hermione cursed the fact that she would now have to shoot down this idea before she could go back to relaxing.

"Harry, we can't. Think about what would happen if we were seen. We wouldn't just be putting ourselves at risk. The Death Eaters would question our friends who are still at school and I don't want to see the entire DA going through a Death Eater interrogation." She could feel the way Harry stiffened at her words. "I think you have the perfect solution here: use the map to keep an eye on things for now. Once we've found a few more horcruxes we can head over there. Right now it's just too risky."

"I suppose you're right." Harry grumbled, clearly disappointed. He heaved a massive sigh that felt as if he was trying to recentre himself after having been knocked off course. "Thanks, Hermione. I don't know what I would do without you here." She noticed that his arm had slipped around her when he gave her an appreciative squeeze. Hermione took advantage of the opportunity to settle back into the very comfortable position she had found earlier. It seemed like it was only a few minutes later that she was being lifted up in Harry's arms. Hermione communicated her displeasure in a sleepy groan.

"Shhh. I'm just going to put you to bed. I'll get you some hot rocks while I'm at it."

"Nnng. Too early."

"You've been napping on my shoulder for the last two hours. You're going to do something to your neck if you keep that up."  _Two hours? Harry's sweet for letting me sleep on him that long, but an absolute git for not letting me stay in that warmth longer._  The wisps of cold air brushing along her body from where the blanket had dropped open made her shiver as she was rather firmly drawn out of the cocoon of comfort she had been wrapped up in.

Hermione felt herself being lowered onto her cot; a cot which suddenly seemed cold and hard as steel. This time her mew off protest went unheeded as her shoes were pulled of and a blanket was tucked around her. The lack of warmth told her that this wasn't the blanket she'd been sleeping under until now. Slowly sleep lost more and more of its grip on her as the shift in temperature brought her back to full consciousness.

She could hear the sounds of Harry putting the stones in the oven to heat them up and twenty minutes later he was shoving a sack of them under her blanket. She clutched it desperately while turning away from her friend in a huff. By the sound of it she guessed that Harry had gotten into his own bed. Slowly she heard his breathing even out, but Hermione couldn't get back to sleep as the cold once again settled into her bones. It was made worse than usual because she had been warm enough to know what she was missing now. She didn't know how long she had been tossing and turning before she gave it up as a bad job.

Grabbing her blanket, Hermione slipped out of bed and crossed the room with jerky steps as she tried to minimise the time her feet would spend in contact with the frozen ground. She took a moment to throw the blanket over Harry and use an Engorgement Charm to expand his cot and then crawled in with him. Her actions brought Harry back to the edge of wakefulness.

"Hermi'ne?" he asked in a mumble when she mercilessly shoved her frozen toes under his legs, clearly still more asleep than awake.

"'S your own fault. You're warm." Hermione muttered in reply as she got herself comfortable. "Night, Harry." she managed as her head settled on his chest, already drifting off to sleep.

:-:-:-:-:

Hermione woke up coming to the conclusion that something must be wrong. The way Harry was tensing up certainly heralded trouble.

"What's wrong?" she hissed out in an urgent whisper.

"You're in my bed."

"What?" Hermione blinked the sleep out of her eyes as she looked up to find her best friend looking like he was going to run away at any moment now. "You woke me up for  _that_? Go back to sleep, Harry."  _Better just act like this is nothing unusual or it could get awkward._

" _Why_  are you in my bed?"  _He's not letting this go like I hoped he would._

"Because you're warm and my bed wasn't, even with the hot rocks." Harry was quiet for a few moments before he relaxed slightly and slipped his arms around her, pulling her closer. Hermione couldn't contain a sigh of contentment.

"Are you going to do this tonight as well?"

"Unless you think it's going to get warmer sometime before March or April." she murmured. Harry hesitated for a moment before nodding and giving her a hug that let her know she would be welcome. Their sleeping arrangements sorted out, the two teens settled in for their first lie in since before they had arrived at the Burrow that summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I think that most of you can see where this story is going by now. I'm basically going to be picking at canon (and some fanon) that has been bugging me for a while now. Case in point: telling someone what the activation phrase for a portkey is and the portkey somehow knowing that it isn't being told to activate. I never understood that. Sleeping alone when you're in a tent in the middle of winter because... reasons, is another. If you're in that situation and have a reason why you won't go for an actual shelter (like, oh say, you want to put up a horde of protective spells that you couldn't in a hotel) then at least figure out the obvious: two people under two blankets or one person under one blanket... there should be no question of who will be warmer. Teenagers.
> 
> Because it came up in reviews on FFnet: no they can't just use a warming charm. That would leave the First Law of Thermodynamics in ruins. And yes, magic does have to obey rules. If it didn't there would be no economy because everyone would just magic anything they needed, Hermione wouldn't have been able to recite Golpalott's Third Law or the principle exceptions to Gamp's Law and there would never be any conflict because there would be nothing to fight over in this xanadu paradise.
> 
> Aside from that Harry and Hermione are now at a point where they have at least overcome most of the obstacles that pushed Ron into leaving and can turn their thoughts back to what they're supposed to be doing.
> 
> As always: thank you for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

_Harry couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this relaxed. The tent was warm and he didn't have to worry about Voldemort for a while. Hermione walked into the tent causing him to smile. As long as he had a friend here he really couldn't imagine any place being better. He was proven wrong a moment later as his parents followed her in._

" _Harry, I found your parents! The weren't dead, they were in an enchanted sleep this whole time. I got Prince Charles to give them a kiss and wake them up." Harry launched himself up from his seat and did his best to hug all three of them close to him._

" _Oh, Harry, my brave boy." Mum said as she took a step back to get a better look at him._

" _You know, son, there's something we've always wanted to say to you." Dad said as he clasped Harry by the shoulder. Harry looked up expectantly at his father, giddy to hear anything the man might have to say. "You are a complete and utter freak."_

" _What?" Harry tried to jerk back from this unexpected verbal attack but he couldn't escape the grasp on his shoulder. He suddenly realised that he couldn't feel the ground underneath him any more either. A cold laugh from the side drew his attention and he saw his mother sneering at him in disgust._

" _Oh look, darling, it actually thought we were going to tell it we loved it." she sneered._

" _Why don't you show it exactly what it deserves?" his father suggested._

"Crucio."  _Lily Potter's voice pronounced that hated incantation and Harry felt pain ripping through his body. He screamed himself hoarse until the curse finally stopped. He managed to look up and saw Hermione standing in front of him._

" _Hermione… please… help…" he begged. She smiled at him before kicking him in the face._

" _I'm leaving. I can't stand being around you any more, Harry Potter." Hermione's voice sounded more biting than he had ever heard it._

" _No, Hermione, please! What do I need to do? I'll do anything! Please, don't leave me!" Harry felt himself being flung back and found himself in the cupboard under the stairs. On the other side of the door he could see his parents flanking Hermione._

" _Aunt Petunia should have never let you out of your cupboard, freak." Hermione spat out._

" _Hermione! No… please…" Harry didn't even know what he was begging for any more, he just wanted everything to go away._

" _Nobody wants you, you waste of space." James Potter hissed out. "Uncle Vernon should have done the smart thing and drowned you like a sick cat."_

" _Why don't you just end it before you inflict any more misery on the world?" Lily laughed. Harry was starting to think that ending it all might be for the best if these people hated him. Hermione crouched down in front of his cupboard and grabbed his shoulders. She started shaking them vigorously._

" _Harry! Harry, wake up!"_ Harry's perception of the world seemed to swirl around him and suddenly Hermione's voice seemed to become clearer. "Harry! Harry, please wake up." Blinking Harry looked up and saw a blur of brown hovering over him.

"Hermione?" he croaked out, unsure of what was going on.

"Harry? Oh, thank Circe." Harry was pulled into a tight hug as Hermione's fingers ran through his hair over and over again. Harry wasn't sure why she was doing that, but it felt oddly comforting.

"What…?" Despite that less than clear question, Hermione somehow understood him.

"You were having a nightmare. It was awful. You were screaming-... you were screaming my name and- and begging me not to do something." Harry's mind was filled with flashes of his dream. He shuddered as he remembered the sheer force of the hate of the people he felt closest to in this world.

"You were going to leave." Harry muttered as he slipped his arms around her in a reciprocal hug, not wanting to get into the rest of it. Hermione's arms gave him an extra squeeze.

"I'm not going anywhere, Harry. You couldn't get me to leave you if you wanted to." she whispered in his ear. After a few minutes she sat up and wiped Harry's face which he was surprised to discover was apparently wet. "I think we might as well get up." Hermione smiled trying to move them past Harry's nightmare.

"You're probably right." Harry admitted as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He reached for the edge of the blanket to throw it off of himself and get out of bed when Hermione caught his hand.

"Harry, when did that get there?" Harry looked at his wrist and froze. Wrapped around his arm was the golden chain of Slytherin's locket.

"I- I don't know."

"I thought we'd hung it on the peg last night?" Hermione asked, referring to the nail sticking out of one of the tent poles that would usually have a gas light hanging from it. The two friends had started using it to hang the locket on when they went to sleep so that they wouldn't be caught in its mental traps.

"We did…" Harry answered as a cold shiver shot down his spine. "Even if we hadn't, neither of us has ever worn the damn thing like this." He started pulling the horcrux off of him and was briefly tempted to fling it across the tent. He checked the impulse though, as he did any that he had with regards to the cursed object. Instead he got up and walked into the living area where he deliberately placed it on the table.

As Harry and Hermione went through their morning rituals they both felt like they were being watched by the malicious presence of that soul fragment. Hermione insisted on adding a packet of raisins and some cinnamon to today's oatmeal and the two friends ate in silence. Harry was still trying to digest the nightmare he had woken up from. It was far from the first time that he'd seen that particular one and Harry was more than a little aware that if he didn't figure out a way to deal with it the locket would keep using the same tactic again and again until he cracked. Judging by Hermione's expression she was wrestling with a difficult problem. It wasn't until Harry had cleaned the dishes that she spoke up.

"I think we should go to Godric's Hollow next." Harry was left blinking in the wake of that declaration as he tried to get his thoughts in order.

"What changed your mind?" he asked as he slipped into the chair across from her.

"This morning. Either the horcrux is getting stronger or we're getting more susceptible to it; maybe both." Hermione took a deep breath as a visible shudder passed through her body. "If it can either move by itself or control us while we sleep then things just got a lot more dangerous. I still think that Godric's Hollow is likely to be a trap, but I'm willing to admit that we might just be desperate enough that we need to spring it." Harry stayed quiet for a moment as he tried to process that.

"So tomorrow we head out to Godric's Hollow." Harry murmured pensively.

"Tomorrow?! Are you mad?" Hermione scolded him. "If we're going to take an otherwise unacceptable risk we will at least plan it so that we minimise the danger."

"Alright, alright." Harry hurriedly corrected himself as he raised his hands in surrender. "Um, when  _did_  you think we should go?" he asked carefully.

"I'm not sure about an exact date yet, Harry. I don't want to get your hopes up." Hermione said softly. Harry just nodded and waited; the way she was gnawing at her bottom lip was a dead giveaway that there was more she wanted to talk about. When she looked up at him with determination in her eyes Harry knew that he was about to find out what that was. "I want us to make a promise." Hermione declared as she reached a hand across the table to take his.

"What kind of promise?"

"I want us to promise each other that we're not going to leave. That we're going to see this thing through to the end  _together_."

"Hermione, it was just a nightmare brought on by the horcrux. You don't need to worry about it."

"I do though. Not just for you… I'm scared too." Harry was dumbfounded at Hermione's admission.

"You think I'd leave you?" he asked, feeling lost and little hurt that she thought that of him.

"I think you might be tempted to run off and do something stupidly noble and self-sacrificing. If you died I'd- I'd be all alone." The haunted tone with which Hermione spoke those last words was enough to keep Harry from making any rash exclamations about her assumptions.  _I hadn't thought about it like that. I would never willingly leave Hermione, but if dying was the only way to save her…_ Harry shivered as he admitted to himself what he would do.  _I understand now, Hermione._ _I will not leave you to face Voldemort alone._  Looking up he saw Hermione watching him, worry dancing just below the surface of her eyes.

"I promise I won't leave you and that we'll see this thing through; together 'til the end." Harry promised as solemnly as he could.

"I promise I won't leave you, Harry Potter. Together 'til the end." Hermione agreed. She let out a breath before shooting up from her chair and coming around the table to grab Harry in a soft hug. "Thank you, Harry. That was really eating at me." she whispered in his ear. Harry just returned the hug. After a few minutes Hermione drew back with a smile. "I'm going to work on a basic plan for visiting Godric's Hollow." she announced, sounding happier than she had all morning.

"I'll make sure to keep out of your way then." Harry teased her, his own smile being drawn out by the sparkle in Hermione's eyes. He watched her settle in with a quill, ink pot and a roll of parchment to make a list and let his mind drift back over the last few days.

The day after he had gone shopping a nightmare had once again woken him up before Hermione. He had used the chance to read the book Ron had given him for his birthday. There had in fact been a chapter on dealing with crying witches. To Harry's dismay most of the advice had centred on how to get her to see you as dependable without sacrificing attraction.  _I didn't want to talk her into my damn bed. I wanted her to stop crying; to feel a little better._

In the end there had only been one piece of advice he had felt comfortable following: ' _Take her in your arms and reassure her that everything will be alright'_. It had been something he could imagine Hermione herself doing to cheer him up and that had been all it took to convince him that it was worth giving a shot. When he had first tried it Harry hadn't been sure that he was doing it right. In the end it had turned out to be quite a bit more effective than he had imagined. Giving hugs was a new experience, but if it helped Hermione, Harry was more than willing to continue it.  _To be honest, I wouldn't mind continuing even if it did nothing. Who knew that hugging would feel so... pleasant._

Harry had been worried that his tactics had backfired, or worse, worked exactly as the book had intended a few days after he had started. Hermione had crawled into his bed at night and at first he had been terrified that he was taking advantage of his best friend without meaning to. When she had told him that it was simply a matter of keeping warm he had relaxed slightly.  _I suppose that it does make more sense to be two people feeling warm under two blankets than to be shivering alone._

Since they had started sharing a bed both Harry and Hermione had become more aware of each other's nightmares. The one that had woken him that morning had done so about half the mornings since Hermione had crawled into bed with him, though to the best of Harry's knowledge it didn't usually have him talking in his sleep like he apparently had that morning.  _If I had, Hermione would have mentioned something by now; well, she would have asked questions about it at least._

Shaking himself from his reverie, Harry grabbed one of the books Hermione had been working through and began reading it while he waited for her to get done with the first draft of her plan to get them to Godric's Hollow so that they could discuss it. Finally he noticed that Hermione put down her quill and was reading over her work with a small smile.

"Are you going to share?"

"Just a moment, Harry."  _Some things never change._ "Alright, here's what we'll do. We'll apparate in under your cloak. To add an extra layer of security I'll be brewing up some Polyjuice Potion. We'll make sure to get some hairs from people who look nothing like us. That way if we're discovered they still won't know it's us. We go for a quick look around in your parents' home and we'll stop by their graves. No other detours. Agreed?"

"I think we should ditch the cloak the moment we're sure no one saw us arrive." Harry countered thoughtfully. "If you still have to take a month to make the Polyjuice then we'll be deep into winter and we'll probably be leaving footprints either in the mud or the snow. Invisible footprints will cause suspicions among the muggles living there, no matter who we look like." Hermione chewed on the end of her quill as she considered this.

"You're right. I was so focused on keeping us safe from the Death Eaters that I forgot about the muggles."

"It's fine. That's why we're going through the plan now, right?" Harry asked with a smile. Hermione snorted amusedly.

"We're going through the plan now because I'm sure it will take me a month to get you to agree to not pull any boneheaded stunts." she quipped back at him.

"What? Me? Dangerous stunts that you'll have to save me from? Hermione, I'm hurt; truly hurt that you could think that of me."

"Oh, stop channelling the twins already."

"Oi, do I not get any credit for doing what takes two of them by myself?"

"No, now hush. We'll get started on the Polyjuice after lunch… if you've improved at all since you were twelve that is."

"I don't rightly know the answer to that… might be better if you did all the work just in case." Harry's grin drew a shove from Hermione who couldn't quite hide her own smile.  _Yes, I definitely prefer Hermione smiling and at least making the best of the situation we're in._

:-:-:-:-:

"Hold still, Harry. I can't transfigure your clothes if you keep wriggling around." Hermione sighed in exasperation.

"It's 'James', remember?"

"Yes, yes, you've memorised our cover names; well done." Hermione knew that she shouldn't be snapping at her best friend, but the risk they were about to take was fraying her nerves. Over the past month she and Harry had painstakingly brewed the Polyjuice Potion and today was finally the day that they were going to head into Godric's Hollow to see if they could find anything that would be of use to their quest.  _I doubt it, but at least this way we will know for sure… one way or the other._

Harry and Hermione had just taken the potion and turned into a couple that was just passing out of middle age. Hermione was trying to get their clothes to match their appearance, but Harry was getting as fidgety as she was.  _I just hope that means that he's taking this as seriously as I am._ She finally managed to make Harry's clothes resemble a tweed suit and changed her own to a dress Mrs. Weasley might have worn if she went in for muggle clothing.

"Alright, I think we're ready to go." Hermione said, hoping she sounded a bit more sure than she felt. Harry's eyes swept her up and down with a frown like something was niggling at him. Hermione saw the wrinkled face of the elderly gentlemen they'd seen in Exeter last week light up and he stomped outside. She followed him, curious about what had caught his attention. She found him outside the tent with a pair of pebbles in his hand. Harry was waving his wand over them and muttering a simple transfiguration spell. Hermione watched as the pebbles shifted to become a pair of gold-coloured rings. He looked up at her with a familiar grin on that unfamiliar face.

"Here you go, Jane." he said as he slid the ring on a stunned Hermione's finger. "If we're going to be a married couple, we probably shouldn't give ourselves away by not wearing the one thing everyone looks for to confirm that."

"Good thinking." Hermione admitted as Harry slid his own ring on. "I think that's everything then, isn't it?"

"I think so." Harry nodded as he swung the invisibility cloak over their heads. They had to squat down a bit so that it covered them completely and Hermione felt the joints of her temporary body protesting the strained position.  _Morrighan have mercy_ _. I'm glad that Harry convinced me early on that we shouldn't try to keep the cloak on once we get there._  "Ready?" Harry's voice was barely above a whisper.  _I guess he really is getting just as nervous about this as I am._ Hermione responded by nodding into Harry's shoulder and a moment later she felt the familiar, uncomfortable sensation of side-along apparition.

When she could breathe again, Hermione found herself looking at the very image of a quiet country town. The small stone cottages had chimneys sticking out of their thatched roofs that were spiralling up gentle trails of smoke. The gardens were bordered by low stone walls that looked like they were made from material left over from the construction of the houses themselves and everything was covered in a thick, white blanket of snow.  _It looks like something straight off of a postcard._

Hermione felt Harry sweep the cloak off of the two of them and cursed herself for getting distracted by the beauty of the scene in front of her. When she turned to Harry to apologise for her lapse she only found a smile and a hand waiting for her to take.  _Typical Harry. Not upset with my carelessness even after I've spent a month harping on about "constant vigilance"._

Hermione decided to just accept the offered reprieve and took Harry's hand with a small, replying smile. Together the two friends walked further into the village. The only sound around them was the crunch of their feet breaking the freshly fallen snow.  _No, wait... I think I can hear something else as well._ Hermione strained her ears to identify the faint sound she could hear hanging in the air. As they got closer to the church at the centre of the village it finally became distinct enough that she understood what she was hearing.

"Carols. Oh, James, it must be Christmas or nearly. I think I had completely forgotten."

"You've had a lot on your mind." came Harry's easy answer. "We'll have to see about making a feast when we get home." Hermione knew that 'feast' probably meant an extra scoop of tuna in their rice, but somehow she was looking forward to it.  _It's not the food that makes the feast; it's the people_  she decided.

Next to the church was the village cemetery. A quick look between Harry and Hermione was all it took for them to decide that they would visit the graves of his parents first. The couple slipped silently through the kissing gate and proceeded to search the grave markers for any hint of James and Lily Potter. Hermione knew they could be faster if they split up, but there was something about the place that made her want to hold onto Harry as tightly as she could. It wasn't that the graveyard was frightening, but the snow and the carols somehow gave it a surreal, ethereal quality; like anything or anyone might drift away if she wasn't looking. It wasn't rational, but holding on to Harry gave Hermione a reassurance that he wouldn't inexplicably disappear, swallowed up by the night.

The passed the headstones one by one, squeezing each other's hand when they came across a name that they recognised. The one that stood out in Hermione's mind was 'Dumbledore'. They found it on a pair of headstones that stood next to each other, dedicated to 'Kendra Dumbledore' and 'Arianna Dumbledore'.  _Did the headmaster live here? He must have at least had family here. Then it would stand to reason that he knew the village and that he must have been able to make a fairly accurate prediction of where Harry would go if he came here. I hate to admit it, but this may actually pan out into something useful._

When Harry suddenly stood shock-still, Hermione's eyes shot up to his face. She knew what he must have seen and wanted to know what his expression would tell her. The wonder she saw reflected in his eyes managed to make it feel more like Christmas. The warmth she usually associated with that holiday welled up in Hermione's chest and she took a moment to marvel at the sensation. There was also a lingering sadness in Harry's expression and that reminded Hermione that they were still on a mission.  _I'll not interrupt him unless it becomes absolutely necessary. Seeing Harry like this... well, maybe we're not in as morbid a situation as it sometimes seems._ Hermione watched as Harry knelt in front of his parents' graves, his hand slipping from hers.

"Hi Mum; Dad. I'm sorry it took me so long to come visit you. It's strange... now that I'm here I'm not sure what to say to you. There is so much that I couldn't possibly tell you all of it. I guess the most important thing is that I've brought my best friend with me. I can't say her name out loud right now, but I promise I'll come back after everything is done and tell you all about her." Hermione felt something melt inside her chest at the idea that she was the most important thing Harry wanted to tell his parents about.  _I wonder what it would be like to have actually met them?_ She knelt down next to him, heedless of the way her knees creaked in this older body.

"Sir, ma'am, it's an honour to meet you. You should know that you can be very proud of your son; I am." Harry's hand found hers at that declaration and gave it a grateful squeeze.

"I'm sorry that I have to go so soon, but we can't afford to hang about." Harry addressed the graves in front of them. "I just want you to know that I love you, even if I can't remember you." With a final bow of his head Harry got up to his feet and helped Hermione do the same. "Come on. Let's have a look at their house. We probably don't have much time left." Hermione could hear how much it was costing her friend to cut this visit short and she reminded herself to tell him how exactly how proud she was of the way he was sitting on his desires when they got back to the tent. As it was she only nodded at him and together they made their way out of the graveyard.

Unsure of where the Potters' house had been the two friends began by crossing the square that the church was on. On the other side they found a monument that had appeared to be an obelisk with a large number of names on it. As they got closer the monument shimmered and changed into a statue of a young family. A man who looked a lot like Harry had his arm around a woman with long flowing hair. In the woman's arms was a small bundle with a tiny head poking out. The lightning bolt scar on the baby's forehead left them in no doubt as to who this was supposed to be. A marker next to the monument to the Potters pointed the way to their house.

Harry and Hermione followed the signpost. As they walked down the street Hermione could feel the way Harry was tensing up. She herself felt the hope that had sprouted upon seeing the name 'Dumbledore' on those graves turn into an almost unbearable anticipation.  _Whatever the Headmaster left us will probably not be obvious. We'll have to figure out how we're going to search the place without looking suspicious._

Like the statue, the Potter house turned out to be hidden under several powerful illusion charms that they could only see through when they had gotten closer. When they had gotten within a hundred feet of the property the Potter house appeared between its neighbours where there hadn't even been a space before. It reminded Hermione of the way Number 12 appeared after someone was told the secret.  _Is it some kind of open-ended Fidelius? No, that's silly. Perhaps a powerful variation on the Notice-Me-Not charm? That wouldn't be very secure. Several spells then. I wish I could research what spells went into creating this effect._

The house itself was a cottage like most of the others in the village except that it looked like a bomb had gone off in one of the upstairs rooms.  _Harry's bedroom._  The thought sent a shiver down Hermione's spine. There was an overgrown garden in front of the house, surrounded by a low stone wall like all its neighbours. A path connected a small gate with a sign on it to the front door. When they reached the gate Hermione bent down to read the sign through eyes that were clearly not what they once had been.

_On this spot, on this night of 31 October 1981, Lily and James Potter lost their lives. Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard ever to have survived the Killing Curse. This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters and as a reminder of the violence that tore apart their family._

There was something deeply sad about reading the words "tore apart their family".  _It doesn't seem like enough... it doesn't tell you the first thing about what that meant for Harry; what it still means for him. At least it mentions his parents first... it's also dedicated to the whole family. I think Harry'll like that._ There were scribbles all around the official message which Hermione identified as graffiti once she had squinted her eyes in an effort to force them to focus.  _How dare they?! That's so disrespectful! You wouldn't do something like that to their graves would you?_ As she read the messages something started niggling at Hermione.

_Good luck, Harry, wherever you are._ __  
_~_  
_If you read this, Harry, we're all behind you!_ __  
_~  
_ _Long live Harry Potter._

They were all written in the same vein, all encouraging Harry... supporting him.  _I don't see any that thank him for what he did._  It struck her as strange. This was supposed to be a monument to Harry's victory over the most feared Dark Lord in British history.  _Maybe the ones thanking him are hidden below all this newer graffi-... it's_ new _! People have written these things recently!_  The realisation almost made Hermione weak at the knees.  _Wizarding Britain is still resisting... even if it's just a little. Writing things like this is_ dangerous  _with Voldemort in charge of the government and yet..._ and yet showing Harry support had been important enough to these people that they had risked what would surely have been outrageously harsh punishments to write a few words here.

Harry seemed to be just as lost in his own thoughts when Hermione finally thought to look over at him, though she doubted that they were considering the same things.  _This is where Harry lived as a baby... where he might still have lived if Voldemort hadn't come calling that night._ _I wonder if I would have visited the Potters as much as we've visited the Weasleys?_  Hermione gave herself a mental shake.  _I can daydream some time when we aren't exposed where Death Eaters might come and kill us at any moment._

"James?" she asked softly to get Harry's attention. When he turned to face her, Hermione was momentarily caught by the grief and wonder intermingled in his eyes.  _Perhaps our thoughts weren't so different just now after all._  "We should probably search this place as quickly as we can." Harry seemed to swallow and then nodded.

"Do you think we should split up?" he asked quietly, his voice suspiciously rough.  _It would be quicker, but it would leave us_ _unable to cover each other_ _... what is the best option?_

"I'd prefer not to risk it. I don't want us farther apart than we have to be." Hermione decided. Harry nodded in agreement and opened the little gate with the sign on it for them. Together they walked up to the front door and Hermione was surprised to find that it hadn't been locked. "That can't be a good sign. If they didn't lock it then there are probably wards or spells up to warn people that we're here. Looks like we'll be splitting up after all. We need to get this place searched before whoever's on the other end of those spells comes looking."

"We'd better be quick then." Harry murmured in reply.

"You take upstairs and I'll look around down here." Hermione offered.

"No. I'll take downstairs. I-... I can't do upstairs quickly." Harry's admission came out of him like it was being dragged out over shards of glass. Hermione took a moment to give him a quick hug, both to reassure him an to let him know how impressed she was that he was willing to hold himself in check like this. She made her way upstairs and couldn't quite stop herself from heading into the ruined room first.  _Harry's room_ the thought sounded through her head again.

A quick look around revealed a charred crib in one corner of the room. There was an oval shaped rug next to it and Hermione couldn't have said what colour it had once been, but the outline of a stain on it hinted at what it had been through.  _That must be where Lily Potter died. I am so glad that Harry chose to search downstairs. He shouldn't have to see this._ Hermione started walking around the room, trying to look for anything that looked out of place. It was easier than she had expected for a place she had never been before.  _That layer of dust hasn't been disturbed in years. If the Headmaster had left something here for us we'd notice. If Voldemort had left a horcrux it would still have to be more recent than most of what has settled here._

_Unless they know spells to restore a dusty room to how it looked before they entered._ Hermione felt a shiver run down her spine. She had never heard of such a spell, but anything was possible with magic. Despite what Harry thought, she wasn't that much more knowledgeable than he was on a lot of things concerning magic. What they were taught in school, yes, she absolutely knew more about that. The things that magicals might learn at home? That no one realised they had to teach? Those things she was just as unaware of as her best friend.

_Focus, Granger. We can't stay long... but we can't come back either. I'll just have to hope that whatever delivered that prophecy to Professor Trelawney is on our side in all of this._  Nothing in Harry's room looked like it had been disturbed in any way since that fateful Halloween so Hermione made her way across the hall to what had to be his parents' room.  _This is probably the room that Harry didn't think he could search quickly._  Aware of the fact that she was looking at something that Harry probably desperately wanted to see, or at least know about, Hermione tried to absorb every detail from the faded burgundy bedspread to the family picture on the wall.

Feeling a little guilty for reasons she couldn't rationally explain, even to herself, Hermione began rooting in the closets and checking under the bed. Nothing jumped out as being out of the ordinary, though she did take the photo off of the wall and slip it into her bag. Disappointed at the lack of success she had had looking through the inhabitants' rooms Hermione took a look in what she supposed was the guest room.  _I suppose that Sirius might have stayed here if he ever slept over._  Hermione was convinced that she wasn't going to find anything here if the rooms that were more important to Harry had been devoid of anything interesting, but she was determined to do as thorough a job as possible. She had barely opened the closet when she heard Harry yelling downstairs.

"Hermione! It's Nagini! She's warned him! We have to kill her! Quickly!" Hermione bolted out of the room and raced for the stairs. Halfway down she saw Harry diving away from lunging fangs that were probably dripping with poison. Near the door she could see a collapsed unmoving body, but she couldn't spare it much of a thought as the snake was already coiling for another attack on Harry.  _We need to get out of here!_

" _Ker_!" Hermione screamed out the emergency activation phrase she had built into the portkey enchantment for just such a situation and felt the magic hook her behind the navel. A swirl of colours later she landed next to her tent. A steady stream of growled curses told her Harry had been swept along exactly as she had planned.

:-:-:-:-:

Once they had decided who would check which part of the house, Harry watched Hermione go up the stairs while carefully throttling the part of his spirit that was screaming at him that he should be the one to go up there, that he should be the one to explore his parents' room and his own. Harry was already shaking with more emotions than he could readily name as he stood in his parents' home and he knew that if he went up there he might not want to leave for a good while yet.  _That would put_ both _of us at risk and that is unacceptable_ _._

So Harry sat on his desires and forced down his emotions.  _I can take the time for that tonight, once we're out of danger; when_ Hermione's _out of danger._ Forcing one leg in front of the other, Harry made his way further into the house. He stepped into the living room and found himself overwhelmed by a memory of an impossibly large, messy-haired man watching him playing on the rug. He shuddered as he tried to force the memory back down.  _Fucking dementors. I guess it's nice to have at least some memories of my parents, but... fucking dementors._ The curses felt almost listless, even to his own mind.

Harry deliberately stepped away from the couch where his father had last sat and moved into the kitchen. He didn't think he had any latent memories associated with that area of the house so maybe he could search it now.  _I'm afraid that I'll still be looking through the living room when Hermione comes back down whether I start now or_ _after I've had a look through the kitchen._

Less than a minute into his inspection of the kitchen he wasn't so sure that he would be out of here any faster than any other room in the house. Next to the sink stood a drying rack with the cleaned dishes of his parents' last meal. There was also a smaller plate with a picture of a Snitch that Harry guessed had once been his. The picture looked like it had been animated to fly around. The Snitch's wings gave a single shuddering beat when he picked the plate up before settling into motionlessness again. With a sigh Harry set it back in the rack.

He looked through the cabinets in the vain hope that Dumbledore might have left something there.  _It would have been a good hiding spot with how utterly unimpressive a concept it is._  He found a few more dishes and even an old tin of biscuits which he didn't think even  _Ron_  would have tried. The most interesting thing Harry came across was a cupboard with a pair of brooms hanging in it. One was an old Nimbus 1200 and the other was clearly meant for a child.  _Dad's broom... and mine._  Closing a door had never been more difficult for Harry.  _I can't afford to take them along. We don't have room for sentimental things on this mission. I'll just have to come back for them after Voldemort is worm-food._

Already feeling exhausted, Harry made his way back into the living room. For a moment he just stood there as he tried to decide where he would look first. In the end he felt the strongest pull to the bookshelves. He walked over to them and canted his head to one side as he read the titles on the spines. It looked like there were magical books and muggle books on all kinds of subjects jumbled in together.  _Hermione'll love this. Maybe I should tell her to take a few of them along with her. She could use something new to read after all this time._ Harry was about halfway through the books when he heard a noise from the hallway.

Drawing his wand Harry carefully made his way to the door between the hall and the living room. Peeking through it he saw a hunched old lady standing there looking around. As he studied her, Harry felt a suspicion growing that he might know who this was.  _Bathilda Bagshot. It has to be. The woman who Skeeter plied for all that information on Dumble-... she knows Dumbledore! Damn it, how did I not see that before?! What reason would an old family friend of Dumbledore's have to talk to Rita Skeeter after his death? It must have been a message to come find her! She must have been waiting for us all this time._ She _is what Dumbledore left us._ Sure of himself Harry stepped out from his hiding spot and saw the old woman's head snap over to him with surprising speed.

"Are you Professor Bagshot?" Harry asked tentatively. He wasn't sure what to call her but 'Professor' seemed fitting for anyone who had written a book that was still part of the curriculum at Hogwarts. The old biddy nodded.

"Are you Potter?" Bagshot's voice was hardly more than a whisper.  _She doesn't know who I am?_ A second after he had had the thought Harry could have slapped himself.  _Of course she can't recognise me if I'm using Polyjuice. All she has to go on is the fact that I'm here and, well, who else would be?_

"I am. Did Dumbledore leave you something to give to me?"

"Dumbledore?" that near whisper sounded again. Harry stepped closer to better hear what Bagshot was saying. As he did she looked up and Harry found himself looking straight into cold, yellow eyes with slitted pupils.  _What the-?!_  He flung himself back as every sense he had honed over six years at Hogwarts screamed 'danger' as loudly as it could and he would later count himself lucky that he had as Nagini launched herself out through Bagshot's mouth.

Harry instinctively flung his hands up in front of his face as the limp body,  _the corpse_ , sagged in on itself behind the snake. Harry heard a loud crunch as he tumbled back and rolled straight back to his feet. He brought his wand to bear on Nagini only to gawk at it in dismay as he realised that he was only holding the handle of his holly and phoenix feather wand. It sputtered out a few weak sparks that wouldn't have threatened a flobberworm, never mind a deadly, ritual enhanced snake. Across the hall Nagini was coiling herself for another attack even as holly fragments dropped out from between her fangs. If snakes had lips Harry was sure she would have been smirking.

"₰Now you are nothing but prey.₰" she hissed out, satisfaction dripping from every sibilant syllable.  _I really should learn to realise when I'm speaking parseltongue._  To Harry's surprise the snake closed its eyes. A moment later his scar exploded.  _Surprise. Satisfaction. Eagerness. Hunt, do not kill. Coming._  Calling on what rudimentary occlumency he could Harry wrenched himself out of the Dark Lord's mind.  _Shitshitshit! What do I do? Hermione! I have to warn her!_

"Hermione! It's Nagini! She's warned him! We have to kill her! Quickly!" Unfortunately the snake took advantage of his distraction and lunged for another strike. Harry managed to dive out of the way just in time, but he landed awkwardly while Nagini was already slithering towards him at top speed. He barely managed to roll himself out of reach as he heard footsteps racing down the stairs.  _Yes! Kill her, Hermione! End the horcrux!_  Harry heard Hermione shout an unfamiliar word, but instead of seeing the light of some obscure curse striking the snake he felt a hook behind his navel and the hallway disappeared in whirl of colour. When he slammed to his knees on leafy ground Harry's mind caught up with him.  _She didn't curse it..._ he thought in disbelief.  _Why? Why activate a sodding portkey? We were so close to finally taking out a horcrux. Wait... maybe she did it after she activated my portkey?_

"Harry?" Hermione's tremulous voice sounded next to him. "Harry are you alright?"

"Did you kill the snake after you got me out?"

"What? No! I activated both of our portkeys at the same time." Harry couldn't help the wave of anger that washed over him, pushed on by his despair.

"Do you mean to tell me that we just wasted the only chance at destroying a horcrux we've had since we've started this thing?!" He hadn't really wanted to yell at Hermione, but it was all too much.  _How could she do this?_ Hermione was only stunned by Harry's outburst for a moment. Her eyes narrowed and she levelled a furious glare at him.

"I was little busy saving your  _life_ , you  _idiot_! If you wanted to kill that snake why weren't you cursing it?!" she snapped out, fury in every line of her stance.

"Because I couldn't!" Harry snapped back thrusting out the remains of his wand for her to see. Hermione's eyes went wide at the shard of holly in his hand.

"What happened?" she asked in a level voice. Her tone managed to drag Harry back from his own anger and he heaved a massive sigh as his shoulders slumped.

"I cocked everything up as usual." he admitted. "While I was searching the living room I heard something in the hall and went to check. I saw an old woman standing there and I thought she was Bathilda Bagshot. I mean, she was, she was just already dead and being worn by Nagini." Harry heard Hermione's gasp of horror, but ignored in favour of pushing on with the story. "I would be dead if I hadn't seen her eyes. I don't know why, but they were Nagini's eyes. It gave me just enough warning to throw myself away from her, but when she came for me I threw my hands up and... and I guess I'd kind of forgotten that I'd drawn my wand already. After that I was just trying to dodge her and the only thing I could do was call out to you. Guess I didn't make my meaning clear enough." There was no accusation in his last sentence, just regret for a missed opportunity.

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry."

"No, don't be. It's not your fault." Harry told Hermione. "I- I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have gone off on you like that. It's just-... I-..." Harry trailed off and gave a helpless shrug. He barely had time to brace himself as he was caught up in a tight hug. Harry had learnt a lot about hugs in the past two months but it still surprised him just how much you could communicate with one.  _Or maybe that's just Hermione._ He brought his own arms around Hermione and laid his cheek on hair that was slowly turning curly and chestnut-coloured again. The two friends stood in that embrace for a few minutes as they reverted to their own forms, letting each other's presence wash away the tension of their failed mission. Eventually it was Hermione who drew back.

"Come on. We still have to apparate to a new spot and set up the protections. I'd rather do that before we find out if my portkeys leave enough of a magical signature to be traced." Harry nodded in agreement and watched as Hermione grabbed her beaded bag from where she had left it just inside the tent-flap. Her wand danced through the air packing their tent away and only two minutes later she turned back to face him, not a trace remaining of the fact that they had lived in this spot for the past two days.

"Where are we going?" he asked as she brought the protective charms down. Hermione bit down on her bottom lip in thought for a moment before she gave him a smile that was lightly tinged with sadness.

"I have an idea." She took his hand and disapparated. When they reappeared they were in another forest. Hermione dropped Harry's hand and immediately started casting their usual suite of protections.

"Where are we? Harry asked when she was done and rooting around in her bag.

"The Forest of Dean. When I was little I used to come here with- with my parents." Harry heard the catch in Hermione's voice but he couldn't think of any way to help her with the pain she was feeling. In the end he just stepped up next to her and took her hand as she cast the spells to set up their tent. Hermione didn't so much as look at him, but Harry felt the grateful squeeze she gave his hand. As soon as the tent was set up they ducked inside. "Give me your portkey."

"Excuse me?"

"Give me your portkey." Hermione repeated looking exhausted, but determined. "I need to re-enchant it and I don't want to forget about it." Harry lifted the necklace off and handed it over. Hermione put it down on the table and took her own off as well.

"What was that phrase you used?" Harry asked. Hermione shot him a side-long glance and Harry was a little hurt to realise that she was deciding what to tell him.  _What she can tell me without me blowing up at her again..._

" _Ker._  It's another literary theme from classical Greek. It means 'fated death'." Harry blinked at that translation, unsure of how he should take it. "It's quick to say and- and I kind of hoped it would be a shield against any avoidable deaths."

"Do you think we're fated to die?" Harry couldn't help but ask even though his mind shied away from the idea.

"No! We're going to die old and happy in our beds, surrounded by children and grandchildren. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." Hermione turned back to the pair of stones lying on the table in front of her and began moving her wand through a complicated series of loops and twirls. Just as Harry was wondering how long she was going to go on Hermione breathed out an incantation. " _Portius_." The two stones glowed with a bright blue light for a second before it faded away again. As it did Hermione crumpled in on herself.

"Hermione!" Harry darted forward just in time to catch her. When he checked her over she was already breathing deeply and evenly with no visible injuries.  _The mission, breaking and setting up camp by herself as well as enchanting our portkeys... she must be exhausted. Damn it all,_ why _did I have to go and lose my wand?_  Self-recriminations ringing through his mind Harry lifted Hermione up bridal style.  _Oof. How do storybook heroes do this? If she wasn't this light I would have either toppled over or dropped her or possibly both._

He quickly made his way to the back of the tent and lowered Hermione onto their cot. Well, he tried to and just about tipped himself after her as he tried to figure out how to keep his balance with a girl in his arms. A quick check showed that Hermione was still asleep. Harry carefully removed her shoes and tucked her under the blankets. After a moment of hesitation he took Hermione's wand and used it to light the oven so he could heat a pouch of rocks for her. Once he had Hermione all set in for as comfortable a night as he could ensure Harry's eyes darted between the wand in his hand and the girl in the bed. In the end though he couldn't bring himself to join her just yet.  _I'm sorry, Hermione. I'll be borrowing your wand a little longer. Right after we set up camp is still the most dangerous time for us. Well, barring missions where snakes jump out of dead people. Still, I'm not going to be able to sleep until I'm sure that our magic use in a place where there shouldn't be any has gone unnoticed._ He stroked his knuckles along Hermione's cheek before turning around to sit watch until he could convince himself that they were safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit that I had my doubts about how close I should stick to canon with the Nagini scene and whether I should include it and Harry's wand breaking at all. In the end it's one of those things, like the how-to book, where I thought Rowling was setting us up with a Chekov's Gun so I left it in. In my opinion there's a lot of that in the seventh book. Heck, the Deathly Hallows themselves are basically all unloaded Chekov's Guns. (If you don't know what a Chekov's Gun is either don't worry about it or visit TVTropes ASAP).
> 
> It also strikes me that the canon kind of glosses over what it means for Hermione to have obliviated her parents. Neither she nor Harry has anywhere to go and both of them have to live with the fact that they are (functionally) orphans. And that makes a small part of me wonder if Ron would still have run away if his family had been killed or otherwise unavailable.
> 
> No, the portkey incantation isn't a typo. Hermione did adapt it after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry was shivering as his eye swept across the snow covered landscape. His mind drifted gently over to Hermione sleeping in their cot all by herself before he could stop it.  _Ancients curse it all! How do my thoughts keep ending up with her?_ Harry had a dark suspicion that he already knew the answer to that question and it was one that he refused to entertain while he was still fighting a war.  _That's not a productive line of thought and far from guaranteed to be the right one either. It would be better to focus on the here and now._ _So far Hermione and I have actually been able to make some progress. Well, admittedly we haven't even come close to finding another horcrux, but damned if we haven't done everything else we could possibly think of._

As he contemplated what he and Hermione had come up with over the past few months Harry's hand unconsciously drifted to his neck and started playing with his portkey stone. Unfortunately it was hanging next to the locket and when he felt that soul piece's cold burn on his fingers he jerked his hand back down.  _Hermione has invented a new spell and is on the verge of cracking another. We've got ourselves squared away to the point where even a raggedy tent in winter is a moderately comfortable shelter. We've checked all the obvious locations except for one and Hermione is right that it's too risky to do more than monitor it with the map; especially now that I've gone and lost my wand._

That last fact made Harry want to bang his head against a hard surface for an extended period of time.  _How could I have been so stupid as to just step out and talk to that snake? As if that wasn't enough I let that damn thing bite my wand and I didn't even manage to land a single shot that could have at least let us say we got rid of a horcrux._  It was a large part of the reason he had yelled at Hermione after her portkeys had deposited them back at the tent: he was embarrassed.  _I really cocked that one up spectacularly and it's not anyone's fault but mine. I'll apologise to Hermione again once she wakes up_. The events of the night also meant that Harry was more eager than usual to take the first night's watch. He was too tense to sleep and with the loss of his wand it felt more imperative than ever that they make sure they were safe.

The cold was doing a pretty good job of tempting Harry to give up this sentinel business as a bad job and crawl into bed next to Hermione.  _I can't think of that. Staying out here will become impossible if I think of a warm Hermione in a warm bed with a bag of warm rocks that I could cuddle into._  He shot up as he realised what he was thinking and started pacing to get his blood flowing and keep himself distracted from the oasis lying inside of the tent. When that didn't help Harry started patrolling around the tent, hoping that some exposure to the full bite of the winter weather would shore up his wavering determination.

As he stood there sucking the bitingly cold air into his lungs with deep, calming breaths something caught Harry's eye. In all fairness a large, glowing deer would have been enough to draw attention to itself even it wasn't standing in the middle of a dark forest. Harry's first response was to drop into a crouch and draw Hermione's wand.  _A patronus. What on earth is that doing here? Where is the caster?_  A quick " _Hominem Revelio_ " later Harry was forced to conclude that either the caster was nowhere near them or knew some way of hiding from that spell.  _Hermione can't be the only one to invent new spells. Still if you can use a patronus as a messenger like the Order does then it stands to reason that you don't need to be anywhere near the patronus itself once you've cast it._

Something about that thought caused Harry to pause as he re-examined it.  _A messenger! What if it's a message? I'll probably need to go over there to find out._ Harry looked back at the tent and Hermione before shaking himself and tentatively moving in the direction of the glowing doe.  _I'm wearing my portkey and Hermione needs her rest after she tired herself out today._ When Harry finally stopped in front of the patronus he looked at it expectantly, waiting for the caster's voice to emerge. Instead the doe made a movement as if to gently butt its head against his hand the way Hedwig would have done to request a good scratching. Since it didn't have a form that Harry could touch the movement missed the contact that he was surprised to discover he had been expecting.

The doe turned away from him and shot him an expectant look over her shoulder before slowly starting to walk away from him. After a few paces she stopped and looked at him again.  _I guess the message is 'follow me'._  Harry quickly made up his mind and started walking, causing the doe to continue on her way. She moved slowly enough that Harry could easily keep up even in the middle of a dark forest. The patronus produced enough light that Harry didn't need to light his own way. Instead he used his wand to continuously cast the Human Presence Revealing Charm. The fact that it kept coming back negative was a reassurance that he wasn't being kidnapped just yet.

Eventually the doe walked out over a frozen pool of water and Harry hesitated. A massless projection of positive emotions might not be at risk of sinking through the ice and into the water below, but Harry was fairly sure that wouldn't automatically be the case for a teenage boy. Slowly, bit by bit, he put more of his weight on the ice. His ears were straining for the slightest creak and his eyes roved all around him searching for cracks that might warn him to get away.

Once he was standing fully on the sheet of ice Harry started making his way over to where the doe was still waiting. He moved slowly and carefully, still not fully trusting the ice and certainly unwilling to test its strength by slipping and falling on it. When he got within a few feet of the doe she started to sink through the ice. Harry would have panicked if he hadn't been able to see that the ice was still intact and that the doe's glow was coming up through it. He reached the spot where the doe had been standing and peered through the ice.

The doe seemed to be standing on the bed of the pond.  _It almost looks like there is something else down there that her light's glinting off of. I need to get a better look._ After a few moments of internal debate Harry pointed Hermione's wand at the ice and muttered a Vanishing Charm. A perfectly round hole, roughly a metre in diameter, appeared at his feet. Looking down he could see the doe clearly and with a gasp he identified the object next to it.  _The Sword of Gryffindor!_  As if she had seen his realisation the patronus faded away, leaving Harry staring at the glint of reflected moonlight that he now knew to be a crucial part of his quest.

" _Accio Sword of Gryffindor_." Harry muttered, but the blade didn't budge an inch.  _Okay think this through: what would Hermione do? Ask me how I got it last time. That doesn't help me. Last time the Sorting Hat gave it to me after I asked it for help._ "Sword of Gryffindor, please help me." Harry tried feeling particularly foolish. The sword remained unmoved.  _Okay, so the silly answer wasn't the right one. What else? Maybe I can fish it out?_

With a muttered incantation Harry conjured a fishing rod with a lasso at the end of its line. He carefully lowered the line into the water and after more than a few tries he finally managed to slip it around the hilt of the sword. He heaved up with all his might, but the sword stayed firmly where it was.  _What the hell? Is it wedged in the rocks or something?_ Harry dreaded that that might be the case since it really only left him with one way to get the damn thing.  _Except that getting in the water would be stupidly dangerous… fuck. It's the Sword of_ Gryffindor _. 'Stupidly dangerous' being a requirement to get it shouldn't be a surprise. So how do I minimise the danger?_

" _Hominem Revelio_."  _Well at least there isn't anyone around to take advantage of me being underwater. Come on, Potter. You can do this. You dove into the damn Black Lake in February in your fourth year. Wish I had some Gillyweed now._ Shoving his useless wish aside Harry started stripping off his clothes so that when he came back up he'd have something relatively warm to wear. Next he cast a Warming Charm on himself in the hopes that it would counter the frigid water's effects. He dropped Hermione's wand on the small bundle of clothes at his feet.  _No point in hampering my ability to swim if magic isn't going to affect the sword._

Standing at the edge of the hole he had made Harry had to wrestle his determination to the forefront of his thoughts before he could convince his body to jump into the freezing water. The moment he entered the water it felt like a vice was being clamped around his chest which forced all the air out of his lungs. Harry resurfaced desperately gasping for breath, but not managing more than shallow pants as the muscles in his chest clamped down against the cold. It took a minute for Harry to adjust to the change in temperature enough that he could take a deep breath and dive down towards the sword. It wasn't a deep dive, but the water was cold enough that it felt like it was pulling at his limbs.

When Harry reached the sword he stretched out a hand and grabbed it. Without any kind of resistance the sword lifted off of the pond bed.  _Guess I was right that you need to willingly enter into a dangerous situation to grab this thing._ Mindful of the discovery Hermione had made weeks ago about the blade having absorbed basilisk venom, Harry carefully started swimming back up to the surface. He could just make out the hole he had Vanished in the ice and made his way towards it.

Just before he could break the surface something tightened around his throat with a jerk and pulled off to the side where the ice was still solid. The fingers of Harry's free hand scrabbled at his neck where the familiar burning sensation told him that the locket was responsible for this latest predicament. He tried to pull it away from his throat, but the horcrux was digging into his skin so deeply that he stood no chance at getting his fingers between its chain and his flesh. As his fingers fought for purchase Harry realised that he could feel the other two items he wore around his neck. The mokeskin pouch wasn't going to save him, but he still had Hermione's recharged portkey. Harry desperately tried to blurt out the activation phrase, but only succeeded in emitting a large bubble from his lips to no effect.  _Fuck. Hermione's going to kill me when she finds out I died._

The only thing he could do was claw at the ice in the hope of finding some purchase that would allow him to pull himself back to the hole. His vision was beginning to black out and the only thing allowing him even a tenuous grip on his consciousness was the cold fire burning deeper and deeper into his neck. In one last desperate attempt to get out Harry started pounding on the ice above his head with the sword despite knowing that his chances of breaking through something that had held all his weight were less than promising. As the last of his strength left him he pulled up one last memory, determined that if he was going to die he would die remembering her; his best friend, his truest companion and the one person who had been willing to sacrifice it all to help him face an impossible task.  _Hermione… I'm sorry... I broke my promise._

The last shreds of Harry's consciousness seemed to be telling him that there was a red light coming from above him and that the ice seemed to have decided to attack him in razor-sharp shards. He also thought that he could feel a hand grasping his forearm and pulling him up. When his face broke through the water and fresh, cold air rushed into his lungs Harry began to suspect that he wasn't dreaming.

"Harry! Harry, mate, breathe! C'mon, you can't die on me!" The voice sounded vaguely familiar but Harry was more preoccupied with coughing up the water that had collected in his lungs. He managed to regain his vision enough to spot his bundle of clothes and, more importantly, Hermione's wand. He crawled over to the pile, the sword of Gryffindor clanging on the ice next to him where it slipped from his frozen grasp. His fingers had been numbed by the cold so that he had to clumsily fumble for the wand. Once he had a grip on it he quickly cast Drying and Warming Charms on himself followed by a healing charm meant to fortify the lungs that he remembered Madam Pomfrey using on him for several days after the second task in his fourth year. Charms cast, he regained enough control over his limbs to quickly dress himself and slip his glasses back on his face. With all his clothes back on his body, Harry looked around for the sword and found it in the hands of his rescuer.

"Ron?" Harry couldn't believe his eyes. "Where on earth did you come from?"

"Ah, well, would you believe a shiny deer showed me where you were?"

"You mean the patronus?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Thought it was yours actually."

"Mine's a stag, Ron."

"Oh. Right." An awkward silence descended between the two.

"So what were you doing in this forest that you were able to follow a patronus?"

"Huh?"

"Ron, you're not going to try and tell me that you apparated after the damn thing."

"Well, no. It's a bit of a long story though, so how about we do that when we're somewhere warm and inside."  _Warm and inside indeed_ Harry scoffed silently.  _I wonder how long he's going to last this time?_ It wasn't the most charitable thought, but Harry couldn't help but remember the reasons Ron had left; he remembered the results as well.  _Still, if not for him I'd have drowned. Maybe I should give him a chance? A test at least… one that keeps him here long enough that I can be sure I'm not leading some polyjuiced Death Eater back to Hermione._

"Alright, it can wait. Now that we have the sword though, we're not waiting a minute longer to destroy this locket." Harry saw Ron give a firm nod and grip the sword tighter. Walking over to a large rock, Harry reached up to take the locket off of his neck and found it hanging down his back. The chain was still bitten deeply into the skin of his throat where it had tried to pull him to his death. When Harry lifted the cursed piece of jewellery over his head it dangled painfully from where it had embedded itself. With a grimace he tore the chain free. Harry had to clasp his hand to his throat which had started bleeding as the skin that had been grafted to the chain by the cold burn of the horcrux's curse was pulled away from his flesh. A few ruby droplets landed at his feet before he could catch them all. Looking at Ron, Harry saw that he was already looking wide-eyed. "Focus, Ron. I'm going to try to open the locket and when I do, you stab it." Ron gave a shaky nod and Harry palmed Hermione's wand, just in case.

"How're you going to open it, mate? Nothing we tried ever worked."

"Actually, we never tried to open it using any kind of magic. We just tried to destroy it."

"So… how are we doing this?"

"Same way I opened the Chamber of Secrets."

"Parseltongue." Ron breathed out before dropping into what was probably supposed to be a heroic sword master's stance. Harry didn't comment but rather turned to the locket which was glinting ominously in the moonlight.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

"₰Open.₰" At Harry's command a soft, metallic click sounded through the clearing. For a split second nothing seemed to happen and then the locket sprung open and a cloud of darkness spilt forth. It instantly turned its attention towards Ron, though Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know how he could tell where a formless, faceless  _something_  was turning its attention. Instead he drew back a few paces and focused his attention on Ron as well. The red-head's face had gone stark white at the sight before him.

"I can see your heart and it is mine. I have seen your dreams, Ronald Weasley, and I have seen your fears. All you desire is possible, but all that you dread is also possible..."

"Don't listen to him, Ron! He's only going to lie to you!" Harry warned his friend, but Ron seemed to have frozen in place.

"Least loved, always, by the mother who craved a daughter... Least loved, now, by the girl who prefers your friend... Second best, always, eternally overshadowed..."

"For fuck's sake, Ron, stab it!" The smoke seemed to billow in on itself before parting and showing Harry and Hermione. To Harry they looked nothing like the real thing. Hermione had certainly never managed an expression quite that cold and he doubted he had either. The naked horror on Ron's face suggested that he might have a different opinion though.

"Why return? We were better without you, happier without you, glad of your absence... We laughed at your stupidity, your cowardice, your presumption." The voice coming from the locket was a monstrous parody of Harry's own.

"We shared everything while you were gone." The fake Hermione chimed in, her voice sounding equally wrong to Harry's ears. "I shared my secrets, our meals… his  _bed_." Riddle-Hermione laughed a familiar, cruel, high-pitched laugh that in no way belonged to the brown-haired witch it seemed to come from. "Who could look at you, who would ever look at you, beside Harry Potter? What have you ever done, compared with the Chosen One? What are you, compared with the Boy Who Lived?" Harry shivered at the words.  _It sounds like Ginny._  The strange thought was enough to knock him out of his own stupor.

"Ron, stop gawking at that gaudy piece of filth and stab it for the ancients' sake!" Ron had dropped out of his stance entirely though and was gaping up at the pair of illusions with tears running down his cheeks.

"You will never have anything you desire… never as long as I live…" Harry heard that imitation of his own voice say.

"Who could want you when Harry Potter stands next to you?" Riddle-Hermione's voice was almost husky as she purred at Ron. "Why should I settle for you?" Harry saw the two apparitions lean in towards each other and start kissing with a passion that made his gut tighten as he watched.

"RON! Stab it! Do it!" Harry screamed at the redhead who had the sword of Gryffindor hanging limply by his side, the point resting in the fresh snow between him and the locket. At Harry's shout Ron's eyes turned towards him. Harry saw what was going to happen a split second before it did. Ron let out a bellow of rage and raised the sword over his head before charging headlong at Harry.

" _Expelliarmus_!  _Incarcerous_!" Harry had been prepared for this on some level, but to have it actually happen was a shock nonetheless. His first spell knocked Ron back and sent the sword flying from his grasp and the second made sure that he wouldn't be getting up to stop Harry from finishing what they had started. What Harry hadn't expected was a small forest of wands flying out of Ron's robes.

He dove to the side to avoid getting hit by anything and when he scrambled back to his feet his first concern was for the sword. He saw it glinting close to the locket and dove for it. When Harry straightened back up he saw that the figures in the locket had turned towards him and their faces had changed. Hermione was looking at him with pure loathing. On either side of her stood his parents with disgust etched into their faces.

"I have seen your heart, Harry Potter. I have seen your dreams."

"So have I. You need a new trick." Harry snapped as he recognised what would come next from his own nightmares. Before the locket could spew the familiar vitriol from his loved ones' mouths Harry swung the Sword of Gryffindor and brought its blade crashing down through the billowing figures. There was an agonised screech as the smoke seemed to recoil. Harry raised his arm and brought the sword back down on the horcrux in hammer blow after hammer blow. The screech seemed to dwindle away until it faded into nothingness with a squeak.

Harry stood with the sword gripped tightly in both hands, panting like he had marathon, sweat drenching his brow. The steady drip… drip… drip of blood falling on the stone from the wound to his throat slowly brought him back to the here and now. His eyes followed the drops to see Hermione's wand where he had dropped it at his feet. Feeling embarrassed at the shoddy care he was showing one of his best friend's most cherished positions Harry picked it up and carefully brushed the lingering snowflakes off of it.

"Blimey. You did it mate."

" _Stupefy_." The red light of the Stunner hit Ron full in the face.  _I suppose he fails the test._ Harry considered leaving Ron here and simply finding a new place to camp with Hermione.  _No. I still don't know how he found us in the first place and Hermione might be able to figure out some use for Ron that I'm overlooking. I can't make this decision without her._ Harry grimly started collecting the extra wands in the hope that one of them would be an acceptable match, but his first touches weren't encouraging. Once he had them all stuffed in the pockets of his coat and trousers, along with the remains of the locket, Harry used Hermione's wand to levitate Ron and his free hand to carry the Sword of Gryffindor. The walk back to the tent was arduous, but after the exhaustion that Hermione had put herself through re-enchanting his portkey, he didn't want to use it again so soon. When he finally stumbled into the tent Harry let Ron drop carelessly in the corner and staggered into the sleeping area.

"Hermione." he rasped out, reaching out a hand to shake her shoulder. "Hermione."

"Mmmnnnn." she moaned as he pulled her from her sleep. "Harry? This had better be- Sweet Maeve! You're hurt! What happened?!" The moment she had seen the wound on his throat, Hermione had vaulted out of the bed and started asking questions. She snatched her wand out of his hand and flicked it to summon her beaded bag and another flick later she was holding a bottle that Harry recognised as their Essence of Dittany. "Sit." Harry followed the command without a thought and collapsed on their cot. Hermione began deftly applying the healing ointment to Harry's throat while he clenched his jaw and tried to ignore the burning sensation it brought about. Hermione also applied the Dittany to several other cuts on his face that he hadn't noticed. Finally she seemed satisfied as she looked him over carefully, but apparently couldn't find any new wounds.

"Thanks." Harry muttered. Hermione nodded her acceptance of his gratitude while she returned the Dittany to her bag.

"So what happened and how big a mess are we in?"

"Ron's back." As soon as the words were out of his mouth Harry realised that he might have made a mistake. Hermione's body went rigid as if she had been hit with an Impediment Jinx and her expression actually got close to being as cold as that horrible parody Voldemort had created. Without another word she whirled around and stalked towards the living area of the tent. Harry shot up and hurried after her. He arrived just in time to see her levelling her wand at Ron's unconscious form and plucked it out of her hand. The icy glare she turned on him didn't leave much room for interpretation.

"Give me my wand back, Harry."

"Not if you're just going to curse him. There's a story he still needs to tell us." Hermione kept glaring mulishly before letting out a resigned sigh.

"We need to figure out how he found us." she growled.

"And for that we need him to want to tell us the truth." Harry added earning himself a snort from Hermione. "Why don't I tell you what happened tonight and we can wake him up afterwards?"

"Alright." Hermione grumbled, still not sounding completely happy about having a reason not to take some frustrations out on Ron. Harry began made them some tea since he still felt a bit of a chill from his midnight swim. As he worked he told Hermione what had happened that night. He endured a scolding for following an unknown patronus anywhere, another for not waking her up and a final one for not taking the damn horcrux off before diving into the icy water. Harry accepted them all as he knew Hermione might agree with at least some of his actions later once she had gotten her worry out of her system. Hermione examined the locket carefully and pouted a little when Harry wouldn't tell her what mirages Riddle had tried to distract him with.

"It's a bit personal, Hermione."

"You didn't hesitate to tell me what it showed Ron." she countered without too much heat.

"That might be relevant to our survival right now. It's been long enough that we know he wasn't polyjuiced and the fears the locket played on were familiar." Hermione just picked up the sword and started studying that instead. She was muttering to herself when she suddenly stiffened.

"Harry, we need to pack everything up and we need to leave."

"What? Why?"

"Someone knows where we are." Hermione managed as she shot up and started dragging him out of the tent. "Someone put the sword in that pond. Someone led you there. Someone led  _him_  there. Who or what are they going to lead to us next? Can someone else do what they can? This location is compromised and we need to go. Now!" A flick of Hermione's wand sent Ron sailing out of the tent. Harry hurried after Hermione as she stalked out of the tent and started casting the spells to pack it into her beaded bag. Once everything was packed Hermione shot a considering look at Ron and finally cast a Rennervating Charm.

"Huh? Wha-? Where am I?"

"We're in the forest where you found us. You are going to tell us right now how you found us and whether you told anyone else how to do it."

"Dumbledore's deluminator did something weird that allowed me to hear you talking. I never told anyone else, I swear."

"Dumbledore had something that could track us?" Hermione definitely sounded worried about that. "With how many things he had in that office that we know absolutely nothing about that is not good news; especially with the school now in the hands of Voldemort."

"NO!" Ron's panicked cry drew startled looks from his friends. Before he could explain, a dozen apparition pops sounded around them. Curses flew around them before the trio really knew what was happening. With Ron still bound and Harry without a wand the result of the ambush was never in question. What did surprise Harry was that Hermione stepped in front of him and that his face erupted in a stinging pain. The next thing he knew was pure darkness.

:-:-:-:-:

Hermione woke up with a gasp as the remnants of a Rennervation Charm coursed through her body. Next to her she could hear similar intakes of breath from people she assumed to be Ron and Harry.

"Wakey, wakey, mudblood." came an unwelcome sing-song voice from above her. Hermione barely stifled a groan as she saw Bellatrix Lestrange leaning over her, determined not to give the demented witch the satisfaction. The gleam in the older witch's eyes looked delighted and she clapped her hands like a little girl at Christmas. "Oooh, good, good. You're conscious. Now just tell me: what are Potter's mudblood, Potter's blood traitor and someone we can't  _quite_  be sure is Potter doing here, hmm?" Hermione remained defiantly silent.  _I'll not tell you anything you miserable hag._ Hermione tried to subtly move her limbs to see what options she had available. They wouldn't budge an inch, but she did become aware of the powerful cords that had been used to truss her up like a pig for slaughter. While Hermione was struggling Bellatrix just nodded as if something had been confirmed.

"It doesn't really matter. Whatever you did to his face will wear off soon. Once it does we will be  _sure_  and then we can call the Dark Lord." The gleam in the mad witch's eyes suddenly turned malevolent. "That means I can take the time to properly question you about how you got into my vault."

"Your vault?" Hermione asked, forgetting that she had resolved to stay silent in the face of her surprise.

"Yessss." Bellatrix hissed, sounding almost as snake-like as her master. "You had the Sword of Gryffindor with you. The sword that I placed in my vault myself on the Dark Lord's orders. You are going to tell me everything you know, mudblood;  _everything_." All of a sudden she simply looked delighted again. "And if you don't then we will simply have some...  _fun_ together. You and me. Girl to girl. Well, girl to beast really considering what you are. Or perhaps it will be girl to beast when I give you to Fenrir? Or would that be beast to beast?" Bellatrix's voice had turned to a mumble over the course of the last two or three sentences and she seemed to be honestly trying to work it out. In another whiplash shift of emotion she straightened up and looked unusually calm and decided.

"Oh well, I'll figure it out later. Whatever it is, we don't need your little harem watching us. They can just visit our dungeons and listen." Bellatrix regal facade cracked as she started giggling. "Don't worry. You can touch yourself as you listen to us playing." she told the boys. Hermione looked over and saw that their mouths were moving, clearly trying to scream vile imprecations at the woman still towering over her. They were bound like she was and Hermione felt her heart sink a little at the idea that they would be taken away; taken somewhere she couldn't draw on them for courage. "Wormy, be a dear and throw them away would you?" Bellatrix crooned at the familiar looking Death Eater with the silver hand. As Ron and Harry were floated out of the Room Hermione felt the bonds that held her disappearing.

"This just wouldn't be any fun if you were still tied up, muddy." Bellatrix grinned at her before happily sighing out a curse that Hermione had never wanted to even witness. " _Crucio_."

:-:-:-:-:

Harry stumbled slightly as the cell door was slammed shut behind him. He regained his balance just before he completely overbalanced and felt the ropes that had bound him slip off of him. Ignoring that strange development he whirled around to glare at the miserable traitor that had thrown him and Ron into this pit, a snarled insult on the tip of his tongue. He never got around to letting Wormtail hear it however as that moment a shriek of pain turned his nerves to ice.  _Hermione!_ His best friend's tortured cries cut through him like a knife.  _No! Not Hermione!_ Her screams were cutting off Harry's rational thought processes until only one imperative remained:  _save Hermione._  He didn't know how he was going to do that, only that he must. Harry could no longer feel his own body except as a pulse that might have been his heartbeat or something else entirely. He wasn't sure which senses told him that Wormtail was climbing back up the stairs out of the cellar and it was unimportant. What was important was that the rat had been able to open the door and that made him Harry's ticket out of this cell. If he could get out of the cell, he could save Hermione.

Harry didn't really notice himself racing to the door. Ron's cries demanding that the Death Eaters leave Hermione alone and take him instead were just so much meaningless noise to Harry. The only thing he was really aware of was the pulse inside of him that was becoming almost unbearable in its thundering; a thundering that drowned out everything except for the need that drove him.

He didn't really notice the way his arm came up, his hand pulled into a clawed rictus. All he felt was the way the pulse jumped in response to his need.

Harry didn't care about the terrified scream of the rat flying towards him. It didn't matter to him that Wormtail kept screaming when he came to an abrupt stop, his neck inches from Harry's clawed hand, his toes scrabbling over the flagstones they couldn't quite reach. All that mattered was saving Hermione.

Harry held his other hand palm up and felt the way the pulse snapped out like a chameleon's tongue. Its return brought with it the sensation of a cold, metal key hitting his palm and his fingers closed instinctively around the prize. He spared it a brief glance before his eyes came back up to Wormtail's face. The Death Eater had tears running down his cheeks and snot streaming from his nose. There was a distinct wet patch spreading across the front of his robes and Harry thought that some of the noises the rat was making sounded like pleas for mercy.  _You hurt Hermione._  Harry's raised hand clenched into a fist and with a sickening snap the sobbing and screaming stopped. Before Wormtail's broken body had finished dropping to the floor Harry was already stuffing the key into the lock and frantically turning it. He ripped the door open and charged out of the cell and up the stairs. Behind him several pairs of feet sounded like they were trying to keep up. At the top of the stairs Harry paused as he remembered which way he had to go to get to his best friend. Another tortured scream tore the doubts from his mind and he lunged in the direction the sound had come from. Harry hadn't taken two steps before his arm was caught and someone spun him around.

"Are you mad? We can't just go charging in! There's a whole mess of Death Eaters and Snatchers in there and they have Hermione. We need a plan." Ron's blue eyes were wide and panicked; it meant as little to Harry as Pettigrew's screams had.

"Get them out of here." he heard himself say as his arm gestured at the figures behind Ron. "Hermione and I'll meet you at the place where we found the sword tomorrow at noon at the latest." Harry whirled around and sprinted off towards the source of Hermione's screams, his arm easily escaping Ron's shock slackened grip. As his feet pounded against the black marble floor Harry let the pulse build up inside of him again. It seemed to him that it came faster this time. The doors to the ballroom where he had last seen Hermione were wide open and Harry could see a huddle of dirty figures looking at something further in the room.

"How did you get into my vault, you beast-bred mongrel?! How did you get your disgusting, little, mudblood hands on that sword?!" Harry heard the hysterical screeching that a small part of him knew must be Bellatrix. It didn't frighten him anywhere near as much as the pained whimpers that followed in the expectant silence. "Answer me!  _Crucio_!" Hermione's screams filled the air again and the huddle in front of Harry shifted as they all seemed to be trying to get a better look. As they shifted Harry saw a glint of silver on the hip of someone wearing the robes and mask of a Death Eater. The pulse licked out from Harry again and the Sword of Gryffindor sailed through the air to his hand. The man who had been wearing the sword on his hip let out a hiss of pain that was lost in the louder screams of Hermione's torture before he collapsed twitching to the floor.  _Basilisk venom; has to be._

Harry closed the last of the distance with the group at a dead sprint and swung the sword in a wide arc trying to hit as many people as he could. Four men and women collapsed to the floor moaning and twitching as the most poisonous substance known to the magical world ripped through their bodies. Some of the victims of Harry's attack fell into their companions alerting them that there was a problem. Harry was able to nick two more Snatchers with another wild swing before the cry went up.

"It  _is_  Potter! He broke out! He's-" The words ended in a gurgle as the sword stabbed through the woman's hip and she joined the other poisoned unfortunates on the ground. Harry had the problem that he was still faced with five Snatchers, Bellatrix and three Malfoys. His free hand came up and the pulse lashed out, knocking the still huddled Snatchers onto the ground. Harry drove the sword into the largest of the group, a grey-haired brute of a man who was already scrambling up. He managed one more cut on another Snatcher before he had to dive out of the way of a familiar, twisting green curse.

"Stop!" The unexpected screech caused the combatants to freeze for an instant. "Stop, or the mudblood dies, Potter. The rest of you know that Potter is the Dark Lord's." Harry saw that Bellatrix was kneeling next to Hermione, her wand digging into his best friend's throat as she lay twitching on the ground. "That's it, Potter. Throw down your wand and the sword and take a step back." Harry slowly raised his empty hand and saw a flash of surprise cross Bellatrix face as she tried to work out where he had his wand. As she watched his hand Harry brought the pulse up to the same thunderous intensity he had felt in the cellar and clenched his hand into a fist. For the second time he heard a loud snap and Bellatrix's limp corpse collapsed on top of Hermione. Everyone's head whipped towards the two witches at the unexpected sound.

Harry used the distraction to stab the sword forward and cut another Snatcher. Unfortunately Lucius was not known as a vicious duellist for nothing and before he could take out another, Harry was back to diving away from a Killing Curse. He landed badly out of position to dodge another and instinctively used the pulse to throw one of the remaining Snatchers into its path. Without consciously making the decision Harry threw the corpse at Lucius and charged after it. The final Snatcher apparated out of Harry's path before Harry could get anywhere near him. Harry did manage to get to Malfoy before the blond ponce had recovered from the body flying into him. He drove the sword down into the hand of the man who had caused him and his friends so much grief and had to leave it there as he threw himself to the side upon hearing a loud crack behind him.

As he rolled into a crouch Harry brought his hands up and felt the pulse thundering in his ears. He only felt a muted sense of surprise that he was faced with a room that was empty except for a twitching Hermione and more than a dozen corpses.  _I should get Hermione out of here while I can._ It was the first thought that wasn't pure instinct that Harry had had in nearly fifteen minutes and it brought with it a wave of exhaustion like nothing he had felt before. He took a few gasping breaths to try and tame the spots in his vision.  _Move, Potter! You can't let this all be for naught._ Harry staggered to his feet and ripped the sword out of Malfoy's hand. Using it as a walking stick Harry quickly searched the Snatchers and took back Hermione's beaded bag, collecting the wands he came across while he worked.

Once he had the bag, he made his way back over to Hermione and kicked Bellatrix's corpse off of her. The way the mad witch's head lolled at angles that no healthy human ever achieved unnerved him slightly, but he put it out of his mind to focus on getting his friend out of here. The gaping, empty feeling inside of him when he prepared to cast a Levitation Charm unnerved him much more.  _I must have used more magic than I realised. Fuck. I'll have to carry her somehow. I'll need any magic I have left to apparate us out of here._  Carefully sliding the sword into his mokeskin pouch and slipping the beaded bag onto his forearm Harry knelt down and rolled Hermione's still spasming form onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry. The movement earnt him a pained moan from the otherwise unresponsive girl.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I know it hurts, but I promise I'll get you to safety." The house and the path to the front gates seemed long enough to be measured in miles as he staggered down the path, his eyes fixed on the wrought iron gates ahead. It took all of Harry's concentration to keep placing one foot in front of the other. An eternity later Harry finally stepped past the gates and was almost immediately caught in a pair of arms.

"Harry! You're alright! How's Hermione? Is she…?"

"Ron?"

"You didn't really think I wasn't coming right back for you did you? Now how's Hermione?"

"She's still alive but we need to get out of here. Can you apparate us?" Having heard Ron's voice, Harry was suddenly aware that his own had turned into a rasping groan.

"Yeah. Yeah, no problem. Hold on tight." Harry tightened his grip on Hermione, determined that she would get to safety no matter what. A moment later he felt the uncomfortable squeeze of side-along apparition. Their landing caused him to crash to his knees, but he still didn't let Hermione go. He caught a scent of salt in the air and thought he could hear Ron yelling in the distance before his world turned to darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, I know: this particular chapter didn't start with a dream. It just didn't fit the pacing. There's at least one other one where that'll be the case. In the end, while I would love to have started every chapter with one of those weird dreams that give you a little insight into the minds of the characters, the actual plot takes precedence.
> 
> I'll be honest: I didn't really want to include a trip to Malfoy Manor any more than I wanted to use the Nagini scene in the last chapter because it's a bit too... canon-y (real word), but I also couldn't see any way someone Harry and Hermione still trust could warn them about the taboo so it was a bit inevitable that the snatchers would drop in. This also allows me to develop an actual "power he knows not". I get what Rowling was going for with love being the power, but to my mind love a why, not a how and 'power' implies a how.
> 
> Harry's abilities to perform magic without a wand were another of things that got teased and that I was sure would play at least a minor role in the war... and then they didn't. For those of you wondering whether Harry is now a superhero with amazing wandless abilities: short answer: not really. Long answer: Chapter 5.
> 
> Yes, Ron came back. Because of where I started the divergence, he still had that capability. As you can see though, Harry's not as forgiving as he was in canon and Hermione, well she is about as forgiving as she was in canon actually. The reason Ron attacked Harry is simply that he doesn't have the mental toughness to stand up to his worst nightmares being shoved in his face at a moment's notice. Harry and Hermione might not have been either if they hadn't already been helping each other through those nightmares for roughly two months now.


	5. Chapter 5

_Harry was walking down familiar flagstone hallways searching for... something. He wasn't quite sure where he was going, but he knew that it was important. He took a turn and found himself face to face with a door set into a wall that would otherwise have been a dead end. He gave it a push, but it wouldn't budge. Pulling didn't help either._

_"_ Alohomora _." Nothing happened. Since spells didn't work Harry tried knocking. A moment later the door opened and he was faced with Fluffy the Cerberus wearing Hagrid's horrendous shag-rug suit._

_"Yes? Who is sir here to see?" the middle head asked, stiff as any butler._

_"I- I don't know."_

_"Has sir made an appointment?" the left head wanted to know._

_"I don't think so."_

_"Would sir like us to announce him?" the last head offered in a bored tone._

_"Um, sure?" The heads nodded in unison and turned around. Harry quickly followed them, driven on by that unidentifiable need. They came to another door set in the ground. Fluffy knocked on it and then opened it up. He bowed Harry towards what was now a hole in the ground. Harry didn't want to do anything too rash and tried to look at what was down there first._

_"JUMP!" The force of the three heads yelling in unison knocked Harry forward and he tumbled a few feet before landing in something soft. A quick look around let Harry know that he had landed in a patch of Devil's Snare that was already wrapped around his chest._

_"_ Lumos _!" Again nothing happened. Perhaps magic was broken? As he struggled against the plant Harry could hear a soft sound being carried on the wind._

_"Help me..." A certainty filled him that this was why he was here; this was the person he was here to meet. The knowledge that he was so close renewed his strength, but the Devil's Snare wouldn't let go. Harry somehow managed to wrestle himself towards the edge of the plant and grabbed at the ground. His hands sunk into the soil and allowed him to pull himself forward. Still the plant wouldn't let him go. On and on Harry pulled himself as the vines drew tighter around him._

_Harry didn't know how long he'd been crawling with the Devil's Snare on his back when he finally spotted an archway with a dark curtain surrounded by a ring of fire. Remembering that the plant that was causing him so much trouble hated fire Harry crawled his way over. Sure enough, as soon as he crossed the ring of fire, the plant let out a horrible scream and let him go, the vines withdrawing back into the darkness._

_"Help me..." There was that voice again. It was definitely closer than before and it seemed to be coming from behind the curtain. Desperate to know who he was here to see, Harry pulled the curtain to one side and found himself facing the Mirror of Erised. In the mirror he saw, not his own reflection, but Hermione helplessly beating her fists against the glass._

_"Harry! Help me!" Her voice was still only wisps of sound._

_"I don't know how." Harry admitted as he stepped up to the mirror and laid his hands against the glass to match hers. "How did you get in there?"_

_"It's because of you. You were too late. You didn't save me." Hermione told him with a sad look on her face._

_"I got here as fast as I could. Please, Hermione, you've got to believe me."_

_"You were too late to save me; too late to save anyone."_

_"No. No, there has to be something I can do."_

_"YOU'RE TOO LATE!"_

Harry flinched back from the impossibly loud scream and right into the waking world. His mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton wool, the sheets were wet with cold sweat and he had a pounding headache.  _Damn, that was almost as bad as a horcrux-nightmare. My scar is even sore._ _Actually everything hurts. I feel like I've been hit with the Cruci- Hermione!_ Memories slammed into Harry's awareness like a freight train and he shot up into a sitting position.  _Fuck. That was a mistake_ Harry thought to himself as his body screamed in protest of the sudden movement. Harry was desperately taking deep regular breaths as he tried to control the pain. He slowly moved his hand around, looking for his glasses so he could try to figure out where he had ended up this time.  _The last thing I remember is Ron apparating us somewhere so we could get away from our enemies, but…_  Harry just couldn't relax in a strange environment after so long on the run. A gasp drew his attention to one side where he saw a blond blur.

"'Arry! You are awake!"

"Fleur?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Oui. 'Ow are you feeling?"

"Heh. Hurts."

"I am not surprised. You have been unconscious for two days. You completely drained your core somehow; Ronald will not tell us what you were doing." Harry noticed that Fleur sounded rather put out with her brother-in-law.

"Don't blame him for that, Fleur. We have to keep what we're doing a secret if we're going to have any chance of finishing our task. Is Hermione here? Is she alright?"

"'Arry, calm down. 'Ermione is upstairs and she will recover wiz time and rest, like you will."

"I need to go see her." Harry climbed out of bed with some difficulty, ignoring Fleur's attempts to get him to lie back down. Eventually she gave up and simply placed his glasses on his face before helping him up. Harry shuffled out of the room and down the hallway. He had to restrain himself from snapping at Fleur who hovered behind him as he made his way up the stairs painfully slowly.  _You know she's just concerned, Potter, and frankly she's not wrong; there's every chance you could keel over and crack your skull at this point._  If not for his determination to see Hermione, Harry might have let himself be talked into some bed-rest for once but he just couldn't imagine finding rest of any kind while he was still worrying about her. He reached the landing and, in a horrible mirror of the night before, he had to pause at the top of the stairs and consider where he might find his best friend.

"Follow me, you stubborn man." Fleur said as she stepped past him. Harry shuffled along behind her until she opened a door and showed him in. He made his way into the room and cast his eyes about for his friend. It wasn't hard to find her.

The middle of the room was taken up by a large double bed and lying in the middle of that expanse of white was an almost equally white face surrounded by a halo of chestnut coloured hair. She appeared to be sleeping, but her face was still drawn into a pained grimace. Harry shuffled his way over to the bed as if he was caught in a dream. Halfway to the bed he noticed that Ron was sitting next to the bed. He supposed that the significant look the redhead was shooting him was supposed to keep him from making noise. Harry barely gave an acknowledging nod. He felt his breath catch in his throat as he stood next to the bed and noticed the way her muscles trembled under her skin, the way her forehead was lightly beaded with sweat. Almost unconsciously his hand reached out to touch her, but before he could make contact his wrist was caught in a strong grip. Looking up he saw Ron shaking his head. Harry wondered about his mate's reaction for a moment before withdrawing his hand.  _I suppose there is a chance I could wake her up and she certainly looks like she could use her sleep._ He stood looking at his best friend's face for a long time, completely oblivious to the world around him.  _You should have run away when Ron left. You should have run and never looked back. Nothing is worth this._

Harry was drawn from his thoughts when he felt a tug on his arm. He discovered that the distraction was Fleur gently pulling him towards the door. Seeing Ron get up to follow Harry allowed himself to be guided out of the room.

"Come, you must return to your own bed. You are not entirely 'ealzy yet." Fleur's voice was filled with understanding but there was a hint of steel in her gaze. Harry didn't have the energy to fight her on this and simply allowed her and Ron to take him downstairs and tuck him back into his bed. "I shall make you somezing to eat. You need it."

Harry watched Fleur head into the kitchen and when the door closed he allowed himself to take the rest of the room in. It looked like he was in Bill and Fleur's living room and they had somehow plopped a bed in the middle of it.  _More likely they just transfigured something._ When his roving eyes found Ron the redhead was looking at him intently.

"What happened?"

"She was being tortured. Bellatrix was screaming questions at her and cursing her before she even had a chance to answer. I-..." Harry trailed off as he wondered how he was supposed to tell his mate that he had killed fifteen people last night.

"That's obvious." Ron snorted, oblivious to his friend's mood. "When did you learn wand-less magic?!"

"I don't know. I just felt this pulse and I couldn't really think and things just happened." Harry admitted. Ron might not have meant to but he had successfully diverted Harry's train of thought onto the possibilities of actually learning to control the power he had felt at Malfoy Manor.  _The Torch Charm when the dementors attacked Dudley and me, my wand shooting out flames at Voldemort when the Order got me from the Dursleys and now this. This is not something to ignore._

"Do you think this might be, y'know, 'the power he knows not'?"

"Could be, but it's also a power I know not. If this is going to be useful I'd need to master it before the next time we run into some Death Eaters and I don't think they're going to suddenly be charitable and stop terrorising the country while I practice." Harry tried to interject some humour into the conversation, but it fell a little flat. The two boys sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Ron got back up.

"I suppose it's not going to do us much good if you can't use it." he admitted. "I promise you one thing though: that bitch is never getting anywhere near Hermione again."

"You don't have to worry about that. She's dead, just like Wormtail." Harry saw Ron blink in surprise and didn't miss the flash of fear that shot through his eyes.  _Definitely a good thing that I didn't tell him about the others I killed. I don't think I could have handled the expression that would produce._

"That's- that's good." An awkward silence that lasted just a bit too long descended between the two. "I'm-... I'm just going to go and… Hermione…"

"Yeah, that's fine." Harry's response appeared to be all Ron needed to flee the room and head back to Hermione's side.  _Well, that could have gone better. To be fair it could also have gone worse. Ron did have a good point though: I need to decide how much time I want to spend on trying to get this wand-less casting thing under control. I either need to master it or ignore it._ A small voice in the back of Harry's mind reminded him that there might be more benefit in trying to find a less black-and-white solution; it sounded a lot like Hermione. Harry spent most of his time until dinner was served tossing the problem around in his mind. He came up with and discarded several arguments for or against either position. He kept at it while eating despite Fleur's best efforts to draw him out. He tried to keep working on the problem while she helped him back into the bed, but as soon as his head hit the pillow his bone deep exhaustion took over and Harry drifted into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning Harry awoke to find a pair of silver eyes staring at him unblinkingly. Harry slowly reached out and grabbed his glasses. Once they were in their proper position on his nose he was able to identify the person studying him.

"Good morning, Luna. How are you feeling?"

"Good morning, Harry. I'm feeling curious today."

"How so?"

"Well, you have an unusual number of wrackspurts dancing around your head at the moment and I would dearly like to know what's attracted them to you." Harry took a moment to translate that from 'Luna' to 'boring' before he responded.

"I do have something that I need to work out and I suppose they like making the issue a bit fuzzy for me." he told her. Luna nodded as if that made perfect sense.

"Perhaps talking about your problem would help you regain some clarity?"  _Worth a shot._

"I'm kind of stuck on deciding what to do next. While I was… in trouble recently I discovered that I might be able to do something, but I'm not sure I have enough time to learn everything about it."

"No one can ever learn everything about anything, Harry. There is simply too much to know and even more to discover. Why, a Blind Griftling might spend its entire life learning how to count up to 586 while it will only ever need to keep track of two Aphidic Functorians." Luna's tone was as dreamy as ever, but as he mulled over her words Harry felt like a new path had just opened up to him.  _I don't need to master the entirety of wand-less casting! If I focus on just one or two spells, I might be able to use them effectively. Everything I did at Malfoy Manor was moving people and things, like a combination of Summoning and Banishing Charms. If I can learn to do that on command I'd have an ability that would be of real use._

"Thank you, Luna. That was very helpful." Her slightly vacant smile made him feel a lot better about his dilemma.

"Oh, you're welcome. It was very nice of you to get me out of Malfoy Manor after all." Harry felt a flash of guilt as he realised that he had no idea of who Ron had gotten out of that place while he ran of to kill the people who had dared to hurt Hermione.

"I'm not sure I can take credit for that. I was rather singularly focused on Hermione."

"No, you weren't." Luna told him cheerfully. "I quite clearly heard you tell Ronald to get us all out of there."

"They didn't hurt you did they?"

"Not really. There aren't that many purebloods left that they can afford to really do anything bad to us if they want us to make more."

"That's… well, horrifying, but I'm happy that you're alright." Harry said while trying to ignore how casually Luna had analysed her captors' motives. "Having Hermione this injured is already more than bad enough."

"Yes, I do wonder what scared them so much that they went so far with her."

"You think they were  _scared_?!"

"Yes. They were angry when they questioned Mr. Olivander and Mr. Griphook, but they knew that they had to not hurt them to the point where they couldn't answer questions. The only emotion I can think of that would cause them to lose control like they did is fear; a truly deep and shocking fear."  _Olivander and Griphook were the other captives? Damn, I really need to pay more attention if I ever get landed in a situation like that again._

_Wait! That's not the important bit here. Luna thinks that what motivated Bellatrix was fear. What would scare Riddle's second in command that much? The only thing I can think of would be Riddle himself, but she was carrying on about her vault-..._ Harry's mind made the connection in a sudden, horrible burst of clarity.  _She has a horcrux. Riddle gave her one to protect, just like Malfoy. The idea of keeping a piece of his soul in the safest place in Britain, in a vault accessible only to an old, pureblood family, a place he would never have even seen as Tom Riddle… yes, I think that would draw him_ very  _strongly. One in a pureblood's manor, one in a pureblood's vault, one in a cave where he dominated his peers, one in the home of the family branch that made him the Heir of Slytherin… he's not placing them in locations that are significant to him, he's putting them in places that feed his delusion! He is trying to convince himself that he's the Heir of Slytherin, not Tom Riddle._

"Harry?" Luna's voice pulled Harry from the storm of his thoughts.

"Luna?" he asked unsteadily.

"Oh good. You're back." she smiled at him, her voice never losing its dreamy tone. "It would have been a problem if you weren't here for breakfast after Fleur went through all the trouble of making it for us." Unable to think of a response Harry simply nodded and swung his legs out of bed. He joined Luna as she made her way into the kitchen and saw that Fleur was just setting the final dishes on the table. Luna sat down easily at the table and started humming a tune Harry didn't know. Ron and Bill were already seated and Ron seemed to have his mouth stuffed with the contents of earlier dishes already.

"'Arry! Si' 'own!" the younger redhead called out as he saw them enter.

"Swallow then speak, Ron." Harry reprimanded absently. It was something he had started doing to avoid the arguments that Hermione offering the same criticism invariably sparked. Ron did as he was told, but was already scooping up the next mouthful.

"It's not too bad, this French stuff." Ron told him affably. "It's not, y'know,  _Mum's_  cooking, but it's not bad." Harry briefly wondered if Ron could feel the daggers Fleur was staring at him.

"It looks delicious, Fleur. Thank you very much for making this." Harry's quiet thanks earnt him a smile of gratitude from both Bill and Fleur and actually managed to make Ron look a bit sheepish.

"Sorry, 'bout that, Fleur. Reckon I sounded a bit of a git. Your food's good." Ron's apology only got him a disapproving sniff.  _Well, at least he apologised. I wonder if Hermione will be any more forgiving?_  The look in Hermione's eyes when he told her that Ron had returned sent a shudder running down Harry's spine.  _Probably not; at least not without one hell of an apology and explanation._  Once everyone was seated Harry started loading his plate together with the others. Breakfast passed quietly for a while as everyone was caught up in their own thoughts and feelings. For Harry this was largely enjoying a breakfast that wasn't oatmeal. It wasn't until he was done eating and looked up that he realised that everyone was looking at him.

"Harry, I realise that you might not want to answer this but what are you plans?" Bill asked him with a serious look on his face. "Fleur and I need to have some inkling if we're going to come with ideas for hiding the fact that you're using our home."

"I'm sorry, Bill. I haven't really had a lot of time to think about it since waking up yesterday." Harry admitted feeling a little guilty that he was endangering these two during a time when they should be enjoying their new marriage.  _The least I can do is be as honest as possible._  "I know that we dealt the Death Eaters a blow yester-... however many days ago, but the war is far from won. I'll spend today planning and let you know tonight, alright?"

"That's fair. I should have realised that getting captured by the Malfoys would have mucked your plans up."

"There is one thing…" Harry offered hesitantly. "Whatever we decide, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to ask you to hide Hermione here, unless you know of a better location. I hate to impose on you, but…" Harry trailed of with a helpless shrug as the memory of Hermione lying unconscious in what must have been Fleur and Bill's bed shot through his mind.

"I understand. I'll try to spend some time thinking about that today as well." Bill reassured Harry, getting a supporting nod from Fleur. "In that case, try to keep the house standing. Fleur and I have to report in to work soon if we don't want to arouse suspicion." The two newly-weds stood up and left the kitchen together. A moment later the teens could hear twin cracks as the adults apparated away. It was Ron who broke the silence.

"Right. I'm going to go keep an eye on Hermione. Let me know what the plan is when you come up with one."  _How different from the words you threw at my head when you ran out on us._ Outwardly Harry just nodded at Ron's back and looked at Luna.

"I think I will see if Mr. Griphook or Mr. Ollivander want to play a game." she told him airily. "You shouldn't let the Wrackspurts make you think that I won't help you, Harry Potter." She skipped out of the kitchen, seemingly untouched by their circumstances.  _Yeah, best not let that act fool me._  Looking around Harry decided that he might at least pull his weight if Fleur and Bill were risking their lives to help him. He brought the plates to the sink and, after some looking to find the detergent and a sponge, cleaned them and dried them. It took quite a bit more looking through cupboards to clear everything up since he didn't know the proper places to put anything in. As he finished putting the last of the plates away, Harry realised that the familiar, menial task had calmed his mind.

He decided that he would head outside, hoping that the crisp winter air would help him think. Walking through Shell Cottage's garden, Harry admired the way it seemed well cared for, even in the middle of winter.  _Focus, Potter. What do we do next? Find the horcruxes. Easier said than done. At least we have a way to destroy them now._ Harry gripped his mokeskin pouch subconsciously as he thought about the mythical blade he put in there when he fled Malfoy Manor.

_Right first things first: which horcruxes do we need to find? The cup, Nagini, something of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's and Vol-_ Riddle  _himself._ Harry was not about to make the mistake of saying the Dark Lord's nom-de-guerre out loud again and that started by correcting himself every time he so much as thought it.  _Alright, where do I find them? One is probably in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts. Two move around since they have living hosts. The last one might be at Hogwarts. It would at least be worth checking out if I can figure out how to destroy the one at Gringotts._

_That means that the short term plan is "figure out how to get a valuable piece of treasure out of a Gringotts vault so I can attack it with a sword". Damn. It just had to be hidden somewhere that makes knowing the location almost irrelevant. At least I have three Gringotts employees in the house that I can ask about how to go about getting inside of that vault. I should probably start with Bill and Fleur though; they're less likely to get me in trouble with the goblins than a goblin._ Harry looked up at the sun and saw that he still had a lot of day ahead of him. Not wanting to waste it he decided to work on a plan that he could use if no one could give him any information at all.

It was difficult to come up with a viable plan when he didn't have any idea what the responses of the other's might be. In the end Harry could only come up with one idea and it wasn't one he was entirely comfortable with.  _No. I can't afford to think like that. You know what the prophecy said, Potter. I have to be the one to end this… besides, it's not like my soul isn't already torn and tainted after what I did to get us out of Malfoy Manor. Better that I do this than asking someone else to do the same_ _._

_But what will my friends say?_

_It doesn't matter as long as they are alive to say it._ Harry experienced a sinking feeling as he realised that if he was forced to use his back up plan that he might lose all his friends.  _It's a big world. I can make new friends if I have to_  he tried to reassure himself. He didn't much believe it.  _No use in worrying about it now. Save my friends first; worry about whether they'll hate me for it later._

Harry made his way inside and went up to Hermione's room to check on her. She was still unconscious and after a few minutes sitting by her side Harry began to become uncomfortable with the way Ron was looking at him. He didn't need the red-head's eyes to tell him what he could feel as well: the bed between them might as well be a canyon. The trust was gone from their friendship.  _I'm pretty sure that I can still count on him to stand up against Riddle and his minions, but I don't think our friendship will ever be the same again. It feels like Hermione being injured is the only reason we're even in the same room._ Harry gave himself a mental shake to dislodge those moody thoughts.  _I'm not doing anything useful here._

With a sigh Harry got up, giving Hermione's hand a squeeze and earning himself a glare from Ron in the process. Harry went back down to the kitchen and set about making lunch for all the guests with what he could find.  _I wonder exactly how much more uncomfortable our interactions are going to be once Hermione wakes up?_

:-:-:-:-:

Ron was conflicted. His departure from the hunt for the horcruxes had clearly changed  _something_ , but he wasn't entirely sure what and how much. There was the way Hermione had looked at him right before they had gotten snatched.  _I don't think anyone has ever looked at me with that kind of hatred. Right before I left I thought we were still on the same page but then she chose to stay with Harry. I was sure that she would choose her boyfriend over the guy who was leading us around by the nose, but she didn't._ _She_ betrayed _me._

He let out a sigh as he looked at Hermione's unconscious form.  _I bet it has something to do with Harry being some kind of Merlin reborn with that wand-less magic of his. Mordred's sore-spotted sack, why does he always get everything_ _?_ _And when did he manage to show her to convince her to stay? She was still snogging with me right up until I left._

_Okay, so maybe an attraction to Harry wasn't the reason she stayed. But_ _there must have been one. We weren't doing anyone any good out in the forest. Drifting along aimlessly doesn't sound like something Hermione would do and that's not even getting into the cold and the hunger and the-... what on earth made all the suffering worth it for her? It didn't make any kind of strategic sense and_ _i_ _f_ _she didn't stay for_ _Harry then..._ _then_ _it must have been me. Something about me caused her to stay with Harry? I don't get it. Did I say something wrong? Women. I thought I had her all figured out with that book, but it wasn't a lick of help in the end._ Ron fought down the urge to scream out his frustration.

_Whatever. It is what it is. What I have to do now is figure out how to fix this situation. What do I have that could get Hermione to like me again? I could tell her that I saved her from the Malfoys... no, Harry would just tell her that he did it and she'd probably believe him at this point. Not to mention I don't know how he'd react. He bloody well killed Wormtail and Lestrange... I don't think I've ever known anyone who's a killer before._ Ron shuddered as a tendril of horror snaked down his spine.  _He didn't even look like it had affected him; like it was just an everyday kind of thing; like playing Quidditch._

_I wonder if Harry's done that sort of thing before? Has Hermione decided she's okay with that? I'm not sure I could stay with her if that's the case. It's- it's just_ wrong _is what it is._ _Light wizards shouldn't go around killing people._  Ron unconsciously gave a firm nod as he reaffirmed that belief to himself before looking over at the bed again.  _I'll just have to ask Hermione about it when she wakes up._

Ron settled back against his chair and continued his vigil over his girlfriend as he tried to ignore his swirling thoughts. Slowly, little by little, those thoughts edged in a direction he didn't notice until they arrived at an idea that struck him like a thunderbolt.  _I need to tell her the truth... but maybe I don't need to tell her_ all _of the truth._ After all he  _had_  gotten Loony, Ollivander and that goblin out of Malfoy Manor. He had apparated Harry and Hermione to Shell Cottage. Harry had killed. They were Death Eaters and the world was a better place without them in it, sure, but still... Harry had  _killed._

_If I tell Hermione those things I won't have lied..._ It was like a whole new world had opened up right in front of him with that realisation.  _I don't have to mention that Harry was the one who opened our cell or that he was the one who got her out of Lestrange's clutches. If I use the right facts I can even tell her that she can check with Harry and he'd have to confirm them!_  It was enough to make Ron want to dance right there next to Hermione's bed.

Intent on being as prepared as he could to win Hermione back from Harry he fetched his copy of  _Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches_  and sat down to read some of the relevant chapters, confident that he could get the book out of sight before Hermione noticed it if she woke up.  _Besides even if she does notice it she can hardly blame me for trying to learn from a book after all the nagging she did at school and I can tell her that Harry has- fuckshitbugger!_ Harry _has a copy. What kind of idiot was I to give him one?_ That _has to be how he got her to listen to him. Morgana's pus-filled tits, how do I counter someone using the same secret weapon? Maybe the book can-... no, if there's something in there Harry's already using it. I'll have to rely on the fact that I was the first one to notice her. That has to count for something... doesn't it?_

Ron shook his doubts off with a physical shudder and determinedly opened the book to review the principles he had first read about nearly a year earlier. He worked his way through several chapters before his attention was drawn by a small moan next to him. He snapped the book shut and jumped off of the chair like he had been stung. Thankfully Hermione's eyes were still scrunched closed in pain, which gave Ron time to hide the book under his chair.

"Hermione?" Her flinch away from him at the mere sound of his voice was anything but encouraging, but the whimper of pain it produced was even worse. "Whoa. You need to calm down, Herms. You're hurt; really, really hurt." Ron sat down next to her on the bed and slipped an arm under Hermione's shoulders. He lifted her up slightly and grabbed the waiting glass of water from the night-stand. Despite her initial reaction to his voice, Hermione didn't resist Ron's ministrations as he helped her drink. When she raised a trembling hand to push weakly against the glass he placed it carefully back on the night-stand and gently lowered her back down. By the time he had tucked her in again Hermione's eyelids were already fluttering closed again.

_Bugger. That was short. I'm not sure if I could even really say that she was all the way conscious._   _At least she woke up a little bit. That's more than she's done in days._ Ron shook his head and sat back down in his chair. _I wish there was something I could do to help her._  As it was all he could do was stare at his girlfriend and hope.  _Damn you, Harry. How could you drag her along on your pointless quest? You had no idea what the hell you were doing and look what it's gotten Herms. If she doesn't make it through this you can bet your arse that I'll be coming for you._

Ron made no move to pick his book back up as he sat there and simply watched Hermione.  _Come on, Herms. Wake up. You can do it. I know you can._  The woman on the bed didn't move though, except for the twitching of her muscles. Ron forgot about the passing of time as he lost himself in trying to will Hermione through her ordeal. He didn't even notice that the sun had set until a hand landed on his shoulder. With a manly "Eep!" he shot out of his chair and whirled around to find Bill looking at him with wry amusement.

"Easy there, baby brother." the eldest Weasley son teased. "You'll do Hermione no good if you have a heart attack. Won't do her any good if you starve either. Come on. Fleur's got dinner on the table." Ron shot a last look at Hermione before nodding and following his brother.

"She didn't make something  _French_  again did she?" he asked as they descended the stairs. The question got him a rap on the head from Bill.

"You really need to let that go, Ron. It's not an attractive trait."

"Bloody hell, it's not like she can hear me asking."

" _I_  can hear you and Fleur's my wife. You might want to figure out what that means if you ever want the same with Hermione." Ron rubbed the sore spot on his head while making sure that his grumbles weren't intelligible enough to get him another knock.  _What's Hermione got to do with this? It's not like she'd be cooking snail-eater food every day. And even if she did I'm sure I could get her acting normal again._

_Unless she does something unexpected like staying in the tent with Harry again._ The thought almost froze Ron in his tracks.  _I really do need to figure out what happened there. It's important. It's like playing chess: you can't win if you don't understand the other guy... girl... the other one._  Ron gave himself a shake and put it out of his mind for now, making sure his face didn't show any of the turmoil he was feeling. It wouldn't do to have to explain his thoughts to anyone until he got a better hold on what his thoughts actually were.

In the kitchen they found Harry, Fleur and Loony already sitting around the table waiting for him and Bill. Ron quickly took his seat next to Harry as the smell of whatever Fleur had made reminded him that it had been  _hours_  since his last meal.  _At least now there's an end to it when we go hungry. It would still be better for Bill if Fleur were more like Mum, though._  Ron managed to keep himself quiet as Fleur pulled the lid off the pot.

"That smells delicious, Fleur. What is it?" Harry asked.

" _Bouef Bourgingon._ " she announced proudly, taking Harry's plate and serving him a large helping.  _What the-? That's just stew. Bloody frogs. Can't they just call things by their proper names?_ Ron managed to sit on his annoyance though and simply thanked Fleur when she filled his plate with food. With his food in front of him Ron lost track of the conversation for a bit. He was just considering whether he should ask Fleur for seconds when he heard Bill asking Harry a question.

"So, Harry, have you worked out a plan?" Ron noticed that all eyes had turned to the chosen one to await his wisdom.  _Don't hold your breath, Bill. Last time he didn't have a plan even after two months of nothing but time to think about it. He even looks uncomfortable; like McGonagall's glaring at him after he forgot to do his homework._

"Maybe. Are we sure about where Mr. Ollivander and Griphook are?"

"Zey are still in zeir beds. Monsieur Ollivander is too injured to move and I zink Grip'ook simply enjoys 'aving wizards wait on 'im."

"Good. I want to tell you first and foremost that we can stop this conversation at any time."

"Well, that's not ominous." Bill muttered. Harry shot him a rueful grin, but continued on anyway.

"To give you some background: there are some... objects that we need to find so we can undo several rituals that Riddle performed on himself."

"Riddle?"

"Scaly? Nose-less? Currently oppressing magical Britain?" Ron got to see Bill choking on absolutely nothing at Harry's grimly irreverent delivery.  _I keep forgetting_ _that You Know Who has an actual name._

"Right. So you're trying to undo some rituals that  _You Know Who_  performed on himself." Bill sounded like he was trying to centre himself as he took that bit of information in. "Let me guess: you're going to ask for some curse breaking help?"

"No, we know how to... undo the rituals. What I need to know is what can you tell me about the security at Gringotts?" Bill and Fleur's reaction to this was at least as pronounced as the one to Harry's casual revelation that the Dark Lord had a name. They both went stark white and Ron could see the way Fleur's slender fingers were gripping the table hard enough that her knuckles turned that same pale colour.

"Harry-..." Bill trailed off and shook his head before trying again. "We can't tell you anything about the security there. For one, that's not our department; it's not any human's department. For another there's a clause in our contracts that forbids sharing bank secrets with outsiders... and they make us sign our contracts with blood quills." Harry already had his hands up in surrender.

"Bill, it's fine. I told you: the conversation can stop whenever. I didn't really think it would be this easy; nothing ever is. I'll just have to try something that doesn't involve breaking into the most secure place in Britain."

"That might be a good idea." Bill agreed, gusting out a shaky sigh.  _Circe's sopping cunt, I'm gone for a few weeks and he's gotten this desperate? At least he was willing to listen to Bill. I have no idea how that prophecy is supposed to work, but I doubt rotting in a Gringotts tunnel is a part of it._  Once again a small voice in the back of Ron's mind wondered why on earth Hermione had stuck with someone who was apparently close to suicidal.

"If we can't do anything about Gringotts right now, then I'm going to have to ask you to keep everyone safe for as long as you can." Harry said with a sad sort of resignation colouring his voice. "It doesn't have to be here. If the Order has safe-houses, use those. I'll go through Hermione's bag and sort out what she would need to keep here. That way I can be out of your hair at a moment's notice."  _I'd better make sure that I get my things out of that bag as well. Harry can go off half-cocked whenever he likes,_ I'm _not abandoning Hermione... not like she abandoned me._

"Non, 'Arry, you shall stay here for a time longer." Fleur sounded very decided. "You look as if you could use ze time to rest and recover from whatever you 'ave been doing. Besides, we are in danger whezzer you are 'ere or not. I am veela and zat is intolerable to zose 'oo are now gaining power."

"She has a good point, Harry." Bill agreed. "We'll try to keep you here as long as possible."

"Thank you. Some time to work on-... well, on something that came up while we were escaping Malfoy Manor would be welcome."  _Wand-less magic... lucky bastard. No, I shouldn't think like that. Anything that ends this war sooner is a good thing._ "I'll make sure that I work on it outside. I wouldn't want to do anything to your home if I'm not sure I can undo it." That kicked off a conversation about the various remodelling efforts Bill had seen at the Burrow as his siblings were born and the house needed to be expanded to fit them all. At one point Ron couldn't help but notice that despite the happy atmosphere Loony was looking at Harry with concern instead of laughing along with the rest of them.  _I'm not going to ask. There's probably a Blibbity Flibbity hanging around in his hair or something else that makes no sense._

Lying in bed that night Ron realised that he had completely forgotten to tell anyone that Hermione had woken up, however briefly.  _Oh well, we already know that they can't help anyway. I'll just make sure to tell them next time she wakes up._ Shoving the problem out of his mind Ron wriggled himself into a more comfortable position on the camping cot that had been set up for him in the kitchen.  _I'll be glad when Ollivander and that goblin bugger off so I can kip in the guest bed again. You just don't wake up fully rested on one of these things._  It was the last thought to pass through his mind before sleep took him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you wondering how fifteen minutes of magic can knock you out for two days, remember that a wand is called a focus for a reason. Casting without a wand is the equivalent of trying to heat a pan in sunlight. You can do it if there's enough (check some of the photos of Rommel and Monty's tanks in North Africa during WWII), but a fire would be so much more efficient and universally applicable. Harry's got enough magic to make it work, but the lack of focus means he's wasting a lot of power. That's why he's going with Luna's plan.
> 
> Speaking of: Luna is a simply wonderful character when your hero needs another perspective. I'm not even sure what happened to her after Malfoy Manor in canon (it may have been written in the books, but it certainly didn't stick if that's the case), but I do know that is was less than it could have been. Let's see what she can do when we actually let her get involved in the story.
> 
> You know, it was incredibly disorienting to write Ron's perspective. It's not one that I include a lot and I've apparently gotten used to just pretty much ignoring him in my last few fics. This was just... weird is the best word for it I suppose. Figuring out Ron's cursing was absolutely hilarious though.


	6. Chapter 6

_"YOU'RE TOO LATE!"_ With a jolt Harry shot up from the camping cot he had moved from the tent to Bill and Fleur's kitchen. He sucked in a shuddering breath as he tried to steady his nerves.  _Damn. If it's not one recurring nightmare it's another._  As his heart rate began to slow down to something more normal Harry looked around the kitchen. A few feet away from him Ron was snoring away on his own cot, blissfully unaware of the terror that had woken Harry.  _Thank the ancients. I don't want to have to explain this to him._

Harry swung his legs over the cot and didn't even flinch when his feet touched the cold kitchen tiles. Compared to the ground in the tent, they were almost warm. He got up and gathered his toiletries, a fresh change of clothes and his invisibility cloak.  _I hope I haven't waited too long to get started._ Harry made his way to the bathroom, taking extra care not to make any noise as he passed through the living room.

The bed he had first woken up in, which had indeed turned out to be a transfigured couch, was now hidden behind a screen giving Bill and Fleur some privacy. Harry had insisted that they take it rather than continue sleeping in the kitchen on transfigured wooden chairs with Ron snoring away next to them.  _They're already doing so much that giving them some privacy at night is the least we can do. I can't imagine that Ron's snoring is good for their marriage._

Harry himself had had to get used to Ron's snoring again. After two months of just him and Hermione it had been something of a shock to the system to hear that noise again.  _Not having Hermione around for warmth was strange too. Even stranger when you consider that we're in a heated house and I shouldn't miss her presence in the first place._

It wasn't entirely a mystery to Harry that he missed Hermione so much.  _Even though we were cold and hungry and in constant danger it was actually pretty enjoyable when it was just the two of us. Now that other people are here as well... it just makes the war so much more real. Not to mention that Hermione got tortured... I guess the bubble's popped._

When he got to the bathroom Harry showered and dressed as quickly as he could. With as many guests as Bill and Fleur had it would have been rude to hog the bathroom for too long.  _And it's not like I have nothing to do today._ Once he was dressed, Harry wrapped the invisibility cloak carefully around his middle and tugged his shirt down over it. He checked in the mirror to make sure that no one would notice.  _I don't want to explain my plan any more than I want to explain my nightmares._

Since no one else was awake yet Harry took Hermione's beaded bag outside and began rummaging around in it. Eventually his fingers brushed against the contours of a round piece of wood. He grasped the wand and fished it out. It didn't feel like it liked him much.  _That's fine. I don't need the first one I grab to be a match. I just need it to listen long enough to summon the others out._ A non-verbal spell later Harry was surrounded by a pile of wands.  _The wands of witches and wizards that I've killed._

The thought was chilling, but Harry was convinced that not facing up to what he had done would be the step that really made him Dark.  _As long as I remember that this is not who I want to be, I at least have a chance of coming back to the light when all this is over... I hope._

Harry began trying one wand after another. Twelve wands later he felt strongly reminded of buying his first wand from Mr. Ollivander.  _It took me a bloody age then too. And that was with a much larger pool of possibilities and someone to help narrow it down._ Eventually Harry was forced to conclude that not one of the wands there was going to be a perfect match for him. There was one that was head and shoulders above the rest though and Harry decided that it would have to do until he found a better one. Tucking the length of wood back into his sleeve Harry packed away the other wands and headed back inside. In the kitchen he found Fleur tending the stove and Ron still in his pyjamas, looking like he had gone right back to sleep once he had taken a seat at the table.

"Bonjour, 'Arry." Fleur greeted him with a smile. "Did you find a wand zat matches you?" Harry blinked at that strangely prescient question until he remembered that he had been trying the wands out right in front of the kitchen window.

"Morning, Fleur. I've got one that'll work for now.""

"Bon. You should ask Monsieur Ollivander what it is made of. Such information is not unimportant."

"What information is important?" Bill asked as he came into the kitchen and kissed Fleur on the cheek.

"Ze construction of one's wand." Fleur giggled at him. Harry felt his face warming and looked away. He would never ask Bill and Fleur to change their behaviour in their own home, but these kinds of private moments were always a reminder of the fact that he had brought half a dozen intruders into that home.

"What did I do to deserve such a brilliant wife?" Bill sighed happily as he sat down at the table. Catching sight of Harry's reddened face he gave ruefully apologetic smile that Harry waved off with a slight shake of a head and a small smile of his own. "So you found a new wand. That can't have been easy."

"What makes you say that?"

"I've had to find a new one twice now. Curse breaking can be hazardous to small bits of wood. You can also outgrow your wand. That happened to Charlie." Bill's voice had taken on a reminiscing tone as he spoke. "Finding a new wand is always a bit unsettling. We all change as we grow older. A wand can tell you something about who you are and getting a new one can really bring you face to face with those changes."

"This- this one's not really a very good match. More the best of the ones I had available so I'm not sure how much it would tell me about myself, even if I did know what it was made of."

"Well, if you happen to be curious maybe you should be the one to bring Mr. Ollivander his breakfast this morning. You can ask him while you're up there."  _That would be a good idea except that I really don't want to wait around for him to wake up._

"Do you think he'd mind if I woke him up?"

"Probably, but it'll be good for him. He needs to eat if he's going to heal."

"Then I'll bring him his food right after we're done eating." As the food was set on the table Ron woke up enough to start shovelling breakfast into his mouth. Harry began eating at a slightly more sedate pace in an effort not to reveal how desperate he was to get out of the house.  _Fleur's right though: knowing what wand I'm using isn't unimportant either. If it was Riddle wouldn't be spending so much time looking for something that would avoid the Priori Incantatem effect. With my luck he might just find the one wand in the world that's a brother to this one and start using that. A little warning could go a long way in that case._

After he had finished his plate Harry grabbed the tray that Fleur had prepared for Mr. Ollivander. He greeted Luna with a small smile and a "Good morning" as he passed her in the hallway. Her bright smile and happy reply made him feel like he had already accomplished at least one worthwhile thing today.  _I would hate to see what it would take to make Luna sad. I think the world would be irreparably broken if she ever lost that smile._ When he reached the door that Fleur had explained was Mr. Ollivander's Harry took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in." The voice from inside the room sounded weak, but at least Mr. Ollivander was awake. Harry carefully balanced the breakfast tray on one hand while he opened the door with the other. "Mr. Potter?" the old wand-maker asked in surprise.

"Good morning, sir. I've got your breakfast here."

"Thank you, my boy, thank you."

"It's just breakfast." Harry murmured feeling a little embarrassed by the effusive thanks. "I didn't even make it. That was Fleur."

"And whom should I thank for being able to enjoy breakfast at all, hmm? Mrs. Weasley and Ms. Lovegood have told me that you were the one who got us all out of that hell hole." It took Harry a moment to equate 'Mrs. Weasley' with 'Fleur' but that time didn't help him come up with a suitable response.

"Luna's been visiting you then?" Harry asked as he set the tray down on the night-stand so he could conjure a frame over Mr. Ollivander's lap that could serve as a table.

"Oh yes. Amazing child. I have already offered to make her a wand to replace the one those monsters took from her." Mr. Ollivander gave Harry a piercing look. "I believe you could benefit from the same offer. As soon as I am able to find suitable materials, do come and see me."

"Thank you, sir. You should focus on getting better first. I have something to tide me over until I need to come looking for you again." Harry replied showing the old man the wand he had selected less than an hour before. Ollivander's eyes widened and sparkled with undisguised interest.

"May I see that?" he asked, eagerness not very hidden. Harry handed his new wand over, secretly grateful that he hadn't had to bring up the idea of having his wand evaluated. "Hmm. Very interesting. A Gregorovitch wand, though more finely styled than what Mykew usually produces." Harry kept quiet as Ollivander seemed to muttering to himself more than anything else. He was surprised when the wand-maker looked up and eyed him with a steady gaze. "You attract the most interesting wands, Mr. Potter. Holly and phoenix feather and now: acacia and dragon heartstring. Subtlety and the warrior. This is a wand for one who fights in the shadows. Centuries ago it would have been labelled an assassin's wand, but I believe you will show the world how such a wand can be used for the good of all of us." Harry took the wand back with trembling hands.  _An assassin's wand. I suppose even wands know I'm a killer now... and the plan I came up with for Gringotts doesn't really contradict that either._

"Thank you for telling me, sir." Harry told Ollivander as he tried to keep his reaction buried deep inside. He wanted to say something more, but the words wouldn't come. "I'll leave you to your breakfast."

"Of course. Thank you again for bringing it up, young man." Ollivander seemed to be able to sense the conflict Harry was feeling.  _I guess I should just be grateful that he's willing to let it go._ Before the situation could get any more awkward Harry escaped the room with a quick "good bye". As the door closed behind him he drew in a shuddering breath.  _It doesn't have to make you feel comfortable, just use it to end this war once and for all... without getting your friends killed._

While he was upstairs Harry decided that he might as well look in on Hermione. He crossed the hall and opened the door to her room carefully. Inside he found his best friend still looking as pale as she had on the day he had first woken up in Shell Cottage. Almost without thinking Harry made his way over and sat down next to the bed. He took Hermione's hand in his and just stared at her face.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione." he whispered. "It should have been me lying there. I tried to tell them... you'd probably have been so angry at me if I hadn't been Silenced. Heh. That or you shot a Stinging Hex into my face for no reason." The joke fell flat, even on his own ears. The heavy silence that fell across the room brought the seriousness of what he was about to go and do roaring back. Harry realised that his grip on Hermione's hand had tightened and he consciously loosened it. "I have to go now. I'm going to-... I'll try to make sure that we have a clear idea of what to do next by the time you wake up. If I'm lucky I may even have destroyed another of those abominations by then." He got up and stroked his knuckles down Hermione's cheek like he had on a night that already felt like a lifetime ago.

"What are you doing?" Harry looked around and found Ron standing in the doorway with a hard look on his face.

"Just checking on Hermione." Harry answered in a flat voice.

"Really?  _Just_  checking?" Suspicion dripped from Ron's voice.

"And reassuring her that I'll be doing what I can until she wakes up." Harry retorted. "Speaking of which... I need to get going."

"Yeah... you do that." As Harry walked through the door he felt Ron's shoulder bump into his own as neither of them gave the other the slightest bit of room. Squashing the irritation that had welled up in him as a result of his interaction with Ron, Harry walked out of the house. He barely even paused to say a short "see you tonight" to Luna who was heading up to talk to Mr. Ollivander or maybe Griphook. The sight of the little blonde's face crumpling with sadness made him feel like a right arse, but he didn't slow down.  _I'll apologise to her tonight._ _Right now I can't afford to waste any more time._ _At least I can be sure that Ron will be keeping an eye on Hermione._

Outside, Harry made his way over to a small clump of trees and pulled the invisibility cloak out from under his shirt and threw it over himself. With a soft pop he disappeared from Bill and Fleur's garden. When he reappeared he was faced with Diagon Alley.  _Ancients' blood! What's happened to the place?!_

The once vibrant alley was lined on either side with beggars dressed in rags and crying out for pity from passing strangers.  _Muggleborns. Fuck. We thought we had it rough out in the tent, but this..._  The bile rose up in Harry's throat as he saw one young woman leave her child in her husband's arms and walk off down a side alley with a man in an expensive looking robe. Judging by the tears flowing down the man's face he knew perfectly well what was about to happen and it was tearing him up inside. The way he was clutching his son to his chest gave Harry a fairly good idea of why he wasn't protesting. Harry's first instinct was to stop what was happening, but a voice that sounded suspiciously like Hermione stopped him.  _You can't help. If you stop her they won't be able to feed the child. You will give away your position to the Death Eaters. You will bring them down on these people. You will cause even more suffering. As horrible as this is, you have to let it go. Be impressed with her fortitude, regret that it was necessary, but_ let it go _. You promised that you wouldn't die and leave me alone._

Under his invisibility cloak Harry clenched his hands as tightly as he could while tears streamed down his face. As long as he could focus on the pain of his nails digging into his palms he could avoid doing something that wouldn't help anyone, no matter how much he wanted to. He barely paid enough attention to where he was going to avoid bumping into any of the beggars or the few shoppers who had shown up. When he got to Diagon Alley's intersection with Knockturn he discovered that the beggars hadn't become so desperate that they were willing to huddle there.

 _This will have to do._  Harry stepped into the darker alley and leant back against a wall. He kept his eyes roving across both alleys and especially Gringotts bank which he could see about two hundred yards in the distance.  _She's dead. Lestrange is dead. That means that her will needs to be executed. If there really is a horcrux in there then Riddle will send Rodolphus and Rabastan to claim it as soon as they possibly can without raising suspicion to make sure that it's safe. That will give me the opening I need. I just hope that "as soon as possible" really does turn out to be soon and that I've not missed it yet._ Around him the storm of human misery continued to rage.

:-:-:-:-:

_Ron was sitting in an armchair with chains wrapped around him. He thought he recognised the room he was in as a Wizengamot courtroom that his dad had shown him when he was younger, but it was completely empty except for him and his chair._

_"Order. We will now hear the case of Everyone against Ron Weasley." Ron's head snapped around at the voice and he saw that there was one person sitting in the court room with him. Hermione was wearing a purple Wizengamot robe and looking down at him sternly. "You're accused of being a prick and a coward."_

_"I'm not!" Ron called up desperately. "Herms, you've got to believe me."_

_"You ran away." another voice hissed gleefully next to him. Looking around Ron saw that they had been joined by Harry wearing a vicious smirk. The expression looked like something Malfoy might wear._

_"That's not my fault! You lied to us. You said we'd be hunting horcruxes, but all we did was starve and suffer."_

_"I told you it would be hard."_

_"No, you said that it would be dangerous. We weren't in danger, you prat, you were just putting us through hell for no reason."_

_"You're always fighting with her."_

_"We've always done that. It's who we are."_

_"It hurts her."_

_"Not more than she hurts me." The whole time Ron was fighting off Harry's accusations Hermione hadn't moved an inch. Now though, Harry turned away from Ron and faced her._

_"He is not right for you." There was still no reaction from Hermione. Harry stepped up next to her and leant over so he could whisper in her ear while still looking at Ron. "Come with me instead. Let me use that wonderful brain of yours. It's mine. Everything's mine." Ron could hear the whispers without any problem. He was about to refute them one by one when he saw a snake's tongue flickering out from Harry's mouth and caressing Hermione's ear._

_"No! Hermione, get away!"_

_"She can't escape me." Harry laughed at Ron. A snake's tail began slithering out from under the bottom of Harry's robe and winding its way around Hermione where she was sitting. "Go on, sentence him. Send him away forever."_

_"I never want to see you again, Ron." Hermione's mouth was moving but somehow it was Harry's voice echoing around the chamber._

"No." Ron shot up straight and moaned as he felt a pain shoot through his neck and back.  _What happ- it was only a dream. Thank Merlin._ Apparently he had dozed off still sitting in his chair and ended up leaning his head and arms on the bed. As he rubbed his neck he looked over at Hermione. It didn't look like she'd woken up since he'd nodded off, but with how quickly she fell asleep again there was no way to know for sure.

Over the past several days Hermione had woken up a few more times, but she hadn't been awake long enough for more than some Nutrient Potion and a few swallows of water yet.  _Why is that? Harry was at least out of his bed by now when You Know Who hit him with the Cruciatus back in fourth year._ _Could he have been faking it? Why would he though? He'd just won the Tournament so he wouldn't need any extra attention._ The whole matter just wouldn't add up in Ron's mind so he did what he always did with problems he couldn't figure out and shoved it out of his mind.

He got up and started pacing around the room in an effort to get his blood flowing again and wake his body up.  _I can't believe I fell asleep_ he thought angrily to himself.  _I'm the one who's supposed to be taking care of Hermione while Harry runs off and... well, while Harry runs off._ Harry had been gone every day for the past week. He got up early and apparated out before Bill and Fleur had even left for work. He would then stay gone the entire day and not make it back to the cottage until dinner was being served.  _And he's not telling anyone what he's doing. I don't like it._

Harry showed up every day with sweat running down his face like he had just finished a particularly brutal Quidditch practice. The only thing Ron had been able to get out of him had been an admission that he was doing what he could to train his  _new talent_.  _Bloody wanker. Can't go a sodding day without shoving his Morgana-cursed ability in my face, can he? At least it seems to be hurting him._

 _I wonder if it's because he can't control it? That would certainly explain why he doesn't want any of us to know what he's doing all day. He's probably just embarrassed. Afraid we're going to figure out that he's got all this power and that he's about as good at using it as he is at playing chess._ Ron's internal grumblings were halted by a groan from the bed.

"Herms?"

"D-don't... c-call... me... th-that..."  _She speaks._ Hermione's voice was weak and she seemed to be having difficulty forming the words.

"Sorry. Would you like some water, Hermione?"

"H-harry?"

"He's buggered off."

"N-no... p-promised..."

"I don't know what he's promised you, but he's run off. He does that every day. He'll probably back tonight and in foul temper if the past few days are anything to go by." Hermione seemed to relax at the news that Harry would be back and that he was apparently sticking to some sort of schedule. She actually looked around the room, before fixing him with a look that was probably supposed to be stern, but only came off as weak and tired.

"W-where..."

"Shell Cottage." Ron responded eagerly. "Bill and Fleur's place. You've been out of it for about a week now; ever since we got you out of Malfoy Manor."

"M-malfoy?" Hermione's brow creased in thought. Suddenly her eyes flew wide in panic. "L-lestrange..."

"Shh. You don't have to worry about her. You're safe here."

"S-s-safe?" The incredulity shimmering through the fear and the stuttering would normally have been scathing. Now it was enough to tell Ron that he had a long way to go to get back in his girlfriend's good graces and that she had a long way to go before he could feel the full brunt of what would normally be her wrath.

"Yeah. We saved you. We managed to get the key to the dungeon away from Wormtail. We got out of there with Loo- Luna, Mr. Ollivander and this goblin they had locked up in there with us. We found you and Lestrange and managed to get the drop on her. We carried you off of the grounds and then I apparated all of us over here." Ron spoke enthusiastically of his and Harry's heroics in getting Hermione out of harm's way. That enthusiasm was only slightly dented by the fact that Hermione's eyes still looked sceptical at best.  _Time to put someone checkmate_ _... and hope it isn't me_ _._  "I know what you're thinking: how long does that stop someone like Lestrange? Thing is though, she's not coming after you again; she can't. After we got the drop on her, Harry- Harry killed her. He killed Wormtail too." Ron didn't have to fake the horror he still felt when he considered that Harry was now as much of a murderer as the people they were fighting. Hermione's wordless snarl indicated that he probably still wasn't being believed.

"Look, you can just ask Harry when he gets back from wherever he's run off to. He'll tell you himself that he killed those two in cold blood." Ron could see that he had thrown Hermione off with this promise of corroboration. "How about that glass of water?" he asked in an effort to distract her. Hermione threw him a glare and reached out for the glass herself. She had barely grabbed a hold of it when it slipped out of her spasming fingers. "Hermione!" With a few flicks of his wand Ron had the floor cleaned and the glass repaired. "Are you okay? This is why I kept asking about the water. You're still hurt."

Hermione just looked away from him and Ron got the distinct feeling that she was feeling ashamed of her own weakness.  _Right, this is my chance. Remember what the book said: make sure that she sees you as dependable and attractive. Be confident._  He gathered the glass up and quickly ran downstairs to fill it up again. When he got back to the room he'd found that Hermione had struggled into a sitting position. Ron almost rolled his eyes at her insistence on moving despite what she'd been through. When he slipped his arm around her shoulder to help her drink some water she didn't pull away from him though and he counted that as a victory.

Once she had had enough to drink Ron managed to convince Hermione to lie down and rest. He wanted to fetch her some food, but he wasn't any good at making things in the kitchen; a skill he was now desperately wishing he had taken the time to learn. Instead he settled back into his chair and talked to her about what he had been up to since he had left them. He didn't bring up how it had made him feel when she had chosen Harry over him, knowing that would just start an argument that Hermione didn't have the strength for right now.  _Time enough for that when she can actually stand on her own two feet_ _and fight back a little_ _._ Hermione's infirmity didn't stop him from casting his exploits in the best possible light. After all, it wasn't like defeating those Snatchers he'd tricked had been  _that_  easy.

Hermione managed to stay awake for half an hour this time, shattering her last record. When he noticed that she'd drifted off, Ron carefully tucked her in again.  _I'll have to remember to tell the others about it. If they think I'm hiding her recovery on purpose I just know they're going to twist it into something evil._ As Hermione slept, Ron began thinking over the stories he would tell her the next time he woke up. While she was stuck in this bed she wasn't going to run out on him or hex him which made this the best time to try and mend their relationship.  _And I'm willing to fight for this relationship, even if she seems like she isn't right now. I'm sure she'll come to her senses sooner or later._

:-:-:-:-:

Harry landed in Shell Cottage's garden with loud pop.  _Ancients. Even my apparition sounds tired._  Each day spent staking out Gringotts for some sign of the Lestranges was more draining than the last. Every one of them filled with the suffering of the beggars which rose off of their unwashed bodies like a stench. The hopelessness of it seemed to cling to his skin. Harry didn't want to bring that back to the cottage and the people who were sheltering him and his friends.

It was that determination that had led him to his current routine. On the first night he had come home just about ready to rip someone's head off in frustrated anger. Realising that his mood would lead to questions at best Harry had stayed outside trying to cool off. Since the night air and winter temperatures hadn't been enough to cool the rage coursing through his blood Harry had rather impetuously decided to try and work on his wand-less magic. His emotions were close enough to what he had experienced at Malfoy Manor that he expected at least some results.

It had been harder than he remembered, but not by much. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you looked at it, the exercise was every bit as exhausting as he remembered. The result was that after five minutes of moving a pebble around he was bathed in sweat.  _And it looked like I was an ancients-cursed firstie trying out his first Levitation Charm. I'm not going to be able to a damn thing with that in a fight._ While Harry might not be satisfied with his progress, the exhaustion had blunted his anger and let him make it through the evening without drawing too much suspicion beyond what he had already expected after being gone a full day with no explanation.

In the week since then Harry had made only slight progress. He could now move the pebble for six minutes and it even went as fast as a second-year trying to remember the Levitation Charm for one of Professor Flitwick's review classes.  _It doesn't matter if it's not a lot. Every bit counts. Even a distraction might help if I can time it right._  Since he was still filled with a bone-deep self-loathing for not being able to help the ever-growing masses in the Alley, Harry got down to work once again. He had barely worked up a sweat when he was interrupted.

"That's quite impressive, Harry." a dreamy voice said right behind him.

"Gah!" The pebble dropped to the ground as Harry whirled around. "Luna. You startled me." Harry watched as her face took on a concerned cast.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't do that."

"It's fine." Harry hastened to reassure the little blonde. "Not like I was making a lot of progress on this anyway."

"Hmm, it looked to me like you were able to do more than anyone else I've ever seen. That seems like it would be a lot of progress."

"Not enough progress then." Harry snorted, morbid amusement thick in his voice. "I'm not going to be any use to anyone with this."

"Does this tie into what you were talking about a few days ago? Is it the thing you wanted to learn everything about, despite that being a silly idea?" Harry was thrown by the question and his mind scrambled to follow Luna's along whatever path it had found.

"You mean when you woke me up?" Harry asked once he had completed the game of conversational hopscotch. Luna nodded with a serene smile on her face. "I suppose it is. I know that I can move that pebble faster... or at least I should be able to. I was throwing people around like rag-dolls in Malfoy Manor."

"Didn't that leave you unconscious for several days though?"  _She's got me there._  "I think it's a good thing that you aren't doing that to yourself. I would worry a lot, and so would the others, if you were."

"But this isn't the answer. It's not enough."

"Then shouldn't you be focusing on making it enough?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.  _I swear talking to her is like what I imagine talking to Hermione on a sugar high would be like. I can't keep up and it makes me feel like a three-year-old._

"Well, you said that it's not enough. At school we learnt the Levitation Charm first and the Summoning Charm a few years later because it requires more control over our magic. Perhaps you need to work on your basics." Luna's voice had lost its usual dreamy quality and her eyes were focused on Harry, sharp and clear.  _Ancients help me, but that's unnerving._  A moment later she was back to her usual, dreamy self. "Well, that or you could do a ritual to ask the Galumphing Whizzbangers for help."  _Okay, now she's just playing with me. What she said makes sense though except... what's more basic than moving a pebble?_

Harry turned to consider the pebble lying innocently on the ground. He ran through the how he would go about moving it in his mind.  _Let's see... bring that pulsing feeling up, push it out towards the pebble, visualise it-... that pulsing feeling! That's the more basic step. I have to see if I can learn to control that first. It might even be less tiring than what I've been doing. Then again, tiring is a pretty good argument to keep doing what I'm doing... or I could try doing both. If not releasing the magic really isn't going to tire me out as much I might be able to do it during the day while I'm on stake-out. I might even be able to find out if anyone reacts to it while I'm doing it._  Harry forcefully dragged himself out of his thoughts as he turned to face Luna who was still watching him with a smile.

"Thank you, Luna. You've just given me an idea for something else I can try."

"Oh good. I'm happy I was able to help." Harry couldn't help but smile in the face of that honest enthusiasm.  _Ancients, but it's a good thing she came out here._

"Hey, Luna? Was there something you needed?"

"Oh, I completely forgot. Hermione's awake and I thought you might like to speak with her." Harry stood frozen for a split-second before he broke into a flat sprint for the cottage. He was through the door and up the stairs in less than a minute. When he got to Hermione's room he flung the door open hard enough for it to bounce off of the wall. The noise that produced made Harry the centre of attention from all the people already in the room. Harry vaguely noticed that Ron was sitting next to the bed and Bill and Fleur were standing on the bed's other side. All of that seemed irrelevant as his eyes locked onto the hazel irises he'd not seen for far too long.

"Hermione." Harry breathed out his best friend's name like a prayer and rushed over to her, dropping to his knees beside her bed. "How are you doing?" he asked quietly as he took her hand gently in his.

"Hurts." Hermione told him in a rough voice. Harry could see relief in her eyes though and was a little puzzled by it for a moment.  _Idiot. She has no idea what you've been doing and the others wouldn't have been able to explain it either. I can't tell her about it with this lot listening in, but I can at least try to make her feel better._

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I was trying to tell them who I was and to leave you alone, but they had us Silenced."

"Glad... stupid." Hermione managed.  _I think that means that she's glad I was silenced so I couldn't do anything stupid. Fucking prophecy. I hate that it's made Hermione think that I'm somehow more important than her._

"That was completely under par for one of your scoldings." Harry tried with a smile that couldn't quite cover how worried he was about Hermione. "You'll have to focus on getting better so you can do it properly." His teasing would be considered weak at the best of times and this was far from being the best of any kind of times. Apparently that didn't matter much to Hermione though as a weak smile graced her lips for a second.  _That's good. It's something at least. I hope she makes a full recovery._  Because he was watching her eyes, Harry noticed that Hermione's attention shifted to something behind him for a moment before she was looking at him again.

"Lestrange?"

"Dead." Harry admitted as his heart grew heavy inside his chest.

"How?"

"I killed her." Harry had been prepared for a bit of shock on Hermione's part, but the revulsion on her face and her hand slipping out of his as she flinched away from him still cut him. "I had to, Hermione. She was hurting you and I had to get you out of there."

"How... many?"

"How many people did I kill?" Harry asked to clarify what she meant. Hermione nodded warily. Harry desperately wanted to lie. To say anything that might wipe that look off of Hermione's face.  _No. She deserves better than that. Besides, I can't take back the admission that I killed Lestrange. I still have to come clean about tricking her in the tent after Ron left as well and that would only become harder if I had to add this in on top of it._  "Fifteen, including Wormtail and Malfoy Sr." Harry said, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to face Hermione's first reaction.

Once he had mustered the courage to open his eyes again Hermione's look of mingled horror and fear was everything he had feared it could be. Bill and Ron were wearing similar expressions that made Harry suspect that his welcome might be running out at Shell Cottage sooner rather than later. Fleur was looking grim and sad, but there was something in her expression that gave Harry some hope for... well, he wasn't sure what exactly. Seeing the way the room had turned against him Harry cast one last look at Hermione while his heart felt like it was being ground to dust between a pair of millstones and gave her a nod. Stuffing his emotions down as deep as he could, Harry turned around. In the doorway he saw Luna watching him with tears in her eyes.

"Thanks for coming to get me, Luna." Harry told her, trying to sound as honestly grateful as he could.  _I knew that I might lose my friends, but I didn't think it would be this soon._ "I'll get out of here now that I know that Hermione's on the mend. We shouldn't crowd her, should we?" Keeping his head down to hide what he knew would be reflected in his eyes Harry darted out of the room. Almost as quickly as he had gotten up to the room Harry was back out in the garden. Raising his eyes to the darkened winter sky he took a deep shuddering breath as a storm of emotions threw itself against the bars of his self-control.

Life at Number 4 Privet Drive had taught Harry overly expressive shows of emotions weren't commonly accepted. Sure, the Dursleys might have been harsher than someone else might have been when faced with the annoyance of a tantrum, but the basic fact remained that most people didn't like to have someone else's emotions shoved loudly in their faces. Harry had discovered that he didn't much enjoy having to deal with other people's emotions either. He'd accept it as part of a friendship, but the idea of a stranger hugging him, crying on him or yelling at him in anger was enough to make him shudder with distaste.  _And that's the real problem isn't it? I'm not sure how much damage was just done to our friendships._

Considering how distant his friendship with Bill and Fleur was to begin with Harry wasn't sure that he had really lost too much there. Ron's friendship was a bit... rocky at the moment. Harry wasn't even going to pretend that he had any idea what Luna might be thinking.  _Get to the point, Potter. You know what the real problem here is: Hermione._  Hermione had been his rock, the one person he relied on and in his opinion the most important reason he was still alive. To have that support withdrawn  _hurt_. It left him feeling cast adrift in the storm.

As if the weather understood his thoughts, the grey clouds began sending down sheets of snow. It was just warm enough to be turning into sleet, which ironically made it feel far colder than snow. Harry just kept his face turned up into the oncoming storm. There was something oddly calming about having the weather beat at him as well. He couldn't change it any more than he could change his friends' disgust with what he had done.

"Harry?" the soft voice pulled him around and he found himself blinking into worried, silver eyes. "You should come inside. I don't know what you're doing all day, but I don't think you would be able to continue if you got ill." Luna started pulling on Harry's unresisting hand as she drew him back to the house. In the hall she helped him get his coat off. Harry pulled his boots off and placed them under the coat so he wouldn't be tracking dirty footprints all through the house. When he straightened up he found himself caught in an unexpectedly strong hug. "I'm still your friend, Harry Potter." Luna's voice sounded close to tears. Harry couldn't think of anything else to do than slip his arms around her small, thin shoulders and hug her back.

"I'm your friend too, Luna. For as long as you'll have me."

"The others are still your friends too and once they find their way back they'll remember that." Harry felt a shudder shoot through Luna's small frame. "Everyone in that room felt so  _lost_. It was like they couldn't see and didn't realise that they only had to open their eyes to fix the problem." Once again Harry felt at a loss for how to deal with Luna.

"Can you show us the way?"

"You're not lost, Harry. Your path is shadowed and lonely, but you are not lost. As for the others... I don't know. I don't think they'd listen to me."

"You just said that they were still my friends. If that is true then they are also still your friends."

"They didn't listen to you either though. If they had they would have heard how much what you were telling us about hurt you." Harry blinked in surprise at Luna's words as her arms tightened around me.

"I can't say that I expected them to accept that I'm a killer now, Luna. They shouldn't have to."

"Yes, they should! It's not fair that you should have to be the only one to have to bear this burden."

"Maybe not, but I don't have a choice about making difficult choices; everyone else does."

"We all make difficult choices, Harry. They might not be as difficult as having to decide whether you will become a killer, but supporting a friend shouldn't be one of them." As Luna gently chastised and comforted him at the same time, Harry realised that the warmth he was feeling wasn't just being out of the storm raging outside. Somehow Luna had offered him some shelter from the storm inside.

"I have you supporting me right now, Luna. That's enough."

"It shouldn't have to be."

"But it is... you are enough." There were definite sniffles coming from the general area of Harry's chest and he was sure that he would find wet patches on his sweater by the time Luna was done. He just hoped that Fleur didn't come looking for them to call them to the table before his friend had had a chance to gather herself.  _A friend. I still have a friend. It really is more than enough to know that._

:-:-:-:-:

 _Where am I?_  Hermione woke up and the first thing that invaded her awareness was pain; an all-encompassing, mind-numbing pain. The next thing she noticed was that she was in unfamiliar surroundings. She couldn't stop the flash of panic that shot through her as she realised that she had no idea where she was or how she had gotten there. She was so tense that the sound of the door to her room opening caused her to flinch painfully.

"Hermione! You're up! You really must be getting better." It was only the familiarity of the face in front of her that kept Hermione from screaming her panic to the skies.

"Ron... where...?" Speaking was downright painful and her voice wasn't cooperating at all. It only served to scare her even more. Ron seemed to get what she was asking though and his face crumpled into a thoughtful frown.

"Shell Cottage. You know, Bill and Fleur's place." A rush of memory flooded Hermione and she felt memories from the day before settling into place. _But I still don't know how we got here or how I got hurt. This isn't good..._

"Why?" Hermione managed to condense her question into one word, hating that she couldn't be more precise, but not willing to risk hurting her vocal cords even more.

"Well, it's just about the only safe place for us, innit." Ron answered as he sat a tray on the night-stand next to her bed. "You need somewhere to recover and you might have to heal more than I thought at first if you're having trouble remembering this stuff."  _Heal? Oh right... I'm injured, that's why everything hurts. What am I healing from though?_

"What... happened?" Now Ron really was starting to look worried.

"Don't you remember Malfoy Manor? We got caught because you and Harry didn't know about the taboo on You Know Who's name. You were- you were hurt; badly."  _"You are going to tell me everything you know, mudblood;_  everything _. And if you don't then we will simply have some..._  fun _together._ _"_ As Bellatrix Lestrange's face and voice filled her memory Hermione couldn't contain a whimper that had Ron sitting down next to her and slipping an arm around her.

"Herms, are you alright? What's wrong?" His helpless panic fuelled her own.  _Wait! where's Harry?!_ _Did he-... did something happen?_

"Harry?" Hermione managed to croak out past her fear.

"Harry? He's buggered off again. Good thing too. I don't feel too comfortable in when he's in the house any more. Not after last night."  _"_ _How many people did I kill?_ _Fifteen, including Wormtail and Malfoy Sr."_  The words were devastating enough without the memory of those hard eyes accompanying it.  _Harry's a killer? No, he can't be... but he told us so himself..._ "Herms? Hermione? Come on, talk to me, babe." Ron's voice managed to penetrate Hermione's muddy thoughts and she looked up to find his worried stare still fixed on her. She could see him casting about for something to say to break the uncomfortable silence between them.

"Are you hungry? Fleur reckoned you might be able to handle some broth." Hermione nodded and reached for the bowl on the tray only to have Ron catch her hand. "Whoa, let's wait until you've stopped trembling before you go grabbing any bowls of hot liquid. We don't need a repeat of yesterday's glass of water." A memory of a glass of water shattering filled Hermione's mind. She also got the sensation that she had been angry at Ron over something, but her mind couldn't seem to grasp why that might have been.  _Could be nothing. Ron and I fight at the drop of a hat and usually make up by the next day._ Something about that thought felt wrong, but once again her mind couldn't pull a reason out of the murk that permeated it.  _It feels wrong, but... if Harry's a killer then the whole world's gone wrong anyway._ _Besides, Ron is here and taking care of me. That probably means that whatever I was angry about has been put behind us._

Hermione sat there hating that she was an invalid as Ron carefully spooned the broth into her mouth.  _At least he's not trying to feed me at the tempo in which he usually eats his own food._ Quite aside from enjoying a more sedate pace to her own meals, Hermione was discovering that even swallowing hurt. If it wasn't for the hunger tearing through her stomach and the knowledge that food would give her body energy to heal she might have refused the meal altogether.

As she ate Hermione tried to force her mind to uncover the memories and thoughts that she knew hovered just out of reach. It was maddening to be so aware of the fact that she  _wasn't_ aware of so much.  _It's like trying to catch mist with your bare hands._ Once Ron had finished spoon-feeding her the contents of the bowl he set it back on the tray he had brought it in on.

"Would you like some more?" Hermione shook her head.  _The pain probably wouldn't even be close to worth it._ Hermione didn't realise that her mind had wandered off aimlessly until she felt Ron shift and discovered that she had been lying on his shoulder. It scared her that she couldn't remember what she had been thinking about only a few seconds earlier. Ron must have noticed her distress because he began trying to soothe her. "Shh. I'm just tucking you in so you can get some rest. You're still not well and you look pretty well done in." Hermione let him help her back down and pull the covers up to her chin.  _Maybe Ron is right. Maybe a bit of sleep will help me clear my thoughts_ she thought as her eyes slipped closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Ron gets weird dreams too. It's only fair to let you see into his mind as I did with the other two.
> 
> I was a little surprised to see the number of PMs and reviews I got on FFnet telling me what happened to Luna after Malfoy Manor. Funny thing, though: no two were exactly the same... and that's the point. We all remember her being rescued and we remember her participation in the final battle, it's the bit in between that Rowling seems to have ignored.
> 
> On an unrelated side-note: I think she may have written that Gringotts break-in for the sake of having the Trio ride a dragon and it doesn't even make me mad. Riding dragons is awesome and something most red-blooded little boys dream of at some point in the same way they dream of being astronauts. In this fic Luna gets to be more of a presence and actually make a difference, so Harry isn't going to come up with that ridiculous infiltration plan... unfortunately that also means no dragon, just a boring stake out.
> 
> For those of you wondering why Hermione is so muddled: it's due to the Cruciatus. I've lost track of the amount of fanfic authors who will have one character explain it to another as a magical equivalent to electrical torture only to then ignore any of the consequences of that kind of injury. I have no problem with the idea that magic can heal a lot, but the Longbottom parents prove that this curse can do some real damage to the mind. As for the long-term effects on Hermione, well, we'll get to that before the end of the story.


	7. Chapter 7

Harry could feel the bricks of the wall behind him digging into his back as he watched the alleys for any sign of his targets. The pulse inside of him roused into a storm and calmed again in time with his breath. After taking Luna's advice Harry had spent his days practising his control over the sensation and now he could feel the pulse even when it wasn't thundering in his ears. Had anyone he asked, he might have compared it to a stream or the incoming surf. It was never exactly the same and yet utterly familiar no matter ho wild or calm it was. Harry had theorised that this sensation was actually his magic, but had no idea how he might go about finding out for sure.

Normally he would have talked to Hermione about something like this, but the pain, horror and fear he saw in her eyes every time they talked was more than he could bear for any length of time. So Harry had avoided being around his best friend and Ron who could invariably be found hovering over her protectively. The few times he had been around them the pain in his heart at seeing the two people who had once been his best friends draw together in fear of him had seen him escaping as soon as could. Neither Hermione nor Ron spoke much when he was around and Harry had begun to wonder if perhaps he should just leave Shell Cottage behind and continue his quest on his own.  _No. Hermione and I made a promise and Hermione keeps her promises no matter what. If I ran off she'd kill herself trying to fulfil that promise anyway and that would make me just as responsible for any danger she might face as shoving her into a battle would. It'd be better if I was able to keep an eye on her; that way I might at least be able to do something. I wish she'd at least speak to me though._

The only ones who even talked to Harry any more were Luna and Fleur. The two blondes had made it clear that while they thought killing was horrific, they weren't about to condemn Harry for doing it to their enemies in what they considered a time of war. However, since Harry didn't want to cause any unnecessary tensions in Bill and Fleur's home he had taken to staying out later than he had before to work on his wand-less magic.

The past few days would have been extremely frustrating if all he had been doing was watching and waiting. Instead he now had some feeling of accomplishment when he sent a pebble racing around the garden. It still wasn't quite what he had envisioned, but he could already come up with some ways where even this speed and power could be useful.  _Practising and planning are all I can do until Hermione's feeling better anyway. Given that she started walking around yesterday I suppose that I will either have to come clean about what I'm doing_ _out here_ _or abandon this plan soon._

Moodily he scowled out from under his cloak at the people around him.  _I hate coming here. I hate seeing all these people begging in the streets. I hate that I can't do anything for them except hope that I'll get lucky and be able to kill Riddle soon._  The invisibility cloak began to flutter slightly as Harry's emotions fuelled his magic, letting it slip from his control. With a snap the cloak froze in mid-air as Harry panicked at the realisation that he might give himself away if it became to energetic. Harry forced himself to calm down and let the silvery material settle around him once more. Once he was calm again he resumed his meditative practice of bringing that pulse to a thundering roar and forcing it to subside again. The mental exercise managed to keep him occupied as he stood and watched and waited.

The sun was dipping towards the horizon and the shadows of the various buildings meant that dusk had come early to the alleys. Harry watched sadly as the beggars huddled together for warmth.  _Some of them probably won't make it through the winter._  A cold shiver made its way down his spine at that thought. He swung his gaze away from the unfortunates, once again uncomfortable with their misery and his own inaction. It was a feeling that assaulted him at least once a day on this cursed stakeout.  _I really,_ really _hate this._  Harry was contemplating just calling it a day and heading back to Shell Cottage for a warm meal and a chance to see how his friends were doing when he saw a pair of shadows move in Knockturn Alley. His attention was drawn by their hurried movements which made them look more out of place than simply walking would have. As the pair passed a store window the lantern light from inside illuminated the face of the closest one. Harry felt his heart stop for a beat before it resumed pounding with twice the force.  _Rodolphus Lestrange! This is it._

Cold sweat dripped down Harry's spine as he drew the aspen wand. His blood thrummed in his ears as he aimed it at the approaching figures. He locked away the protestations of his conscience as he gathered his magic in preparation for the spell, all too aware that he was only going to get one chance at this. Lestrange and his companion were almost level with Harry when he made his move.

" _Imperio_." He could feel the surprise of the two minds he overpowered in an avalanche of magic. They railed against his control, tried to throw it off, but Harry's will was stronger and his magic too powerful.  _Go to the bank. Act as you normally would. When you go to your vault take out anything the Dark Lord has asked you to keep safe and a large bag of Galleons. Bring them here. Tell no one that you are under the Imperius._

To an observer Lestrange and his companion, whom Harry now knew to be his brother, would have merely seemed to hesitate before entering Diagon. Harry felt sick at how easy it had proven to take complete control of someone else.  _Remember your promise: whatever it takes._ He tried to keep his breathing quiet as he watched the two brothers walk into the bank. Waiting for them to return turned out to be much more nerve wracking than waiting for them to appear in the first place. Standing out in the cold Harry imagined every way this plan could go wrong. He was starting to worry that what he had just done would end up alerting Riddle to the fact that someone was hunting his horcruxes.  _How on earth do I keep them from telling Riddle what happened? Keep them under the curse? Draining, and from how easy it was I doubt they have the mental strength to stop Riddle's legilimency if he tried it. Memory Charm? He can break those. That leaves… I'd better think of a way to make it look convincing._  Now the chill of the winter weather seemed a distant and pale imitation of the chill that settled in his chest.  _Whatever it takes._

Finally, after what felt like hours, Harry saw two figures emerge from Gringotts and begin walking towards his position. When they stopped in front of him they held out a small golden cup, a silver sword with rubies set in the pommel and a large bag. Harry's hands darted out from under the cloak to take his prizes and set them on the ground between his legs. He gathered his magic and brought it to bear on the connection to his curse victims.  _Fight each other. Kill each other. Make it look like a confrontation that got out of hand._

"How long are you going to keep moping, eh? So Bella's dead; it's not like there was much of her left, mind or body."

"Mind your tongue. You may be my brother but you will speak with respect."

"Respect like Bella showed you when she boffed muggles for fun? Just what would you have done if she had whelped some half-blood bastard?" The brothers apparently considered this enough foreplay to satisfy Harry's command and Rodolphus launched a nasty looking curse at Rabastan.  _Don't harm the bystanders._  Harry barely realised in time that he had left them with too much of an opening to harm innocents. After his hastily added command the two brothers aimed mostly for each others heads allowing the panicking beggars to live as long as they stayed low. Harry watched the duel for several minutes until he heard a shout coming from further down Knockturn Alley.

"Rabastan?! Rodolphus?! What is the meaning of this?!" A quick glance told Harry that a single wizard was charging up to the duelling brothers. That was a complication he didn't need.  _Finish this. Kill each other. Now._  In front of him a pair of simultaneously cast Killing Curses flew past each other in mid-air and struck the two combatants. With an almost anticlimactic silence the Lestrange brothers collapsed onto the cobbles still facing each other with glassy, lifeless eyes. The wizard who had called out was blistering the air with some fairly creative curses as he finally reached the site of the duel. The man bent down to inspect the two corpses and from this close Harry suddenly recognised him.  _McNair._  An idea popped into Harry's head but he hesitated.  _If I do this, Riddle will definitely know. Hermione isn't back to full health yet so I wouldn't be able to count on her too much. Ron will stay with her so there is a very real chance that I'll end up fighting alone at the end of this. It's not like I'd never get another chance to do this… is it?_ Harry argued back and forth with himself on the matter until one final thought settled the matter.  _If I open up the connection in my scar then I may be able to discover the location of the last one while he rages. That would turn this search into a race. It's not like if he moves it we'll have less of an idea of where to look._  As Harry doubted and debated with himself a line he had read in one of Hermione's books surfaced in his mind.  _A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week._

Decision made, even if he was anything but sure it was the right one Harry once again raised his wand.

" _Imperio_." It was even easier this time. Harry noticed that McNair's magic was a lot weaker than the Lestranges'.  _Return to the Dark Lord's lair. Kill the snake Nagini. Do not attract suspicion._ McNair stilled for a second before standing up. He shot the Lestranges one last look before he walked away. Once the man was out of sight Harry quickly stepped on the wands of the dead men so that no one would be able to use them to guess at what had really happened here. He tucked what he was suspected was a forgery of the Sword of Gryffindor in his belt and grabbed the cup. Just before he apparated he flung the bag out into Diagon Alley and watched it spill Galleons everywhere.  _That's all I can do for you right now. Use it to get away from here._  The first beggars were scurrying out into the street as Harry made his way to the apparition point in Knockturn. By the time he disapparated he could hear the frantic sounds of people gathering as much money as they could.

Harry landed on the path leading up to Shell Cottage. As he looked at the peaceful little house he felt a wave of shame wash over him. He remembered Ron's face when he had confessed to killing Bellatrix. He remembered Hermione's discomfort when she couldn't avoid being around him.  _How much worse would it get if I told them that I'd used an Unforgivable to kill two people and send a third to certain death? If I cast the Killing Curse at someone I'll have used all three._  Feeling too ashamed to go in and face his friends Harry walked through the garden to the edge of the cliff and sat down, looking out over the sea.

_I can't tell them; not yet at least. Maybe after Riddle's finally had his grave danced on. I'll probably have to leave magical Britain behind at the end of all this. I've used an Unforgivable on a fellow human being now. No one's going to want a threat like me hanging about. I said that I'd make sure my friends get out of this alright, no matter what… even if that means losing them._

With a heavy sigh Harry got up and brushed off his trousers. He dropped the cup on the ground and opened the drawstring on his mokeskin pouch. Drawing out the real Sword of Gryffindor he gave the cup one last dirty look before ramming the sword down into it. The gold hissed and bubbled around the blade and a second later a cloying black mist seeped out of the wound, screaming in high pitched agony. Once the scream ended Harry ripped the sword out of the cup and cleaned it on the lawn. He had barely managed to slip it back into the pouch when he saw Ron, Bill and Fleur running from the house.

"Harry! What's going on, mate?!" Ron called as he looked around for threats. Bill and Fleur looked frightened as they ran, wands out and moving to cover anything and everything that might hide an assailant. When Ron caught sight of the twisted piece of gold on the ground he stopped mid-step. "Harry, is that a-"

"Ron!" Harry's glare and warning tone stopped Ron from revealing things that were best left unsaid while pretty much answering the question at the same time. "Is Hermione awake?"

"Um, yeah. She's lying down though since she pretty much tired herself out."

"That's fine. We need to go talk to her." Harry picked up the remains of the cup and started walking. Ron just nodded in response and fell into step with Harry as they headed back to the house. They passed Bill and Fleur on the garden path and Harry told them: "I'm sorry for startling you. I promise that what happened out here was necessary though." The couple shared an uneasy look before giving Harry hesitant nods which he returned with a firm one of his own.

Ron and Harry made their way inside and up the stairs in silence. When they entered Hermione's room Harry felt a pang in his chest at Hermione's uneasy glance in his direction. He couldn't help but notice the way her eyes slipped past him to Ron for reassurance. He waited for Ron to close the door and then cast some privacy spells.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice sounded worried at best and Harry shied away from the thought that he could hear some fear in there as well. "What's happened? What was that scream just now?" By way of an answer Harry dropped the remains of the cup on the bedside table. Hermione's eyes grew wide as she looked between it and him. "How?"

"Doesn't matter. The point is that it  _has_  been done. With any luck the snake will die tonight. I expect it to enrage Riddle and hopefully that will allow me to exploit our connection."

"NO! Harry you mustn't! It's too dangerous."  _Even when she's scared of me she still finds time to worry about me._  Harry gave himself a mental shake to get rid of his amazed reaction.

"It's a bit late to stop things now." Harry responded with a shrug. "You understand what this means?"

"No." Ron broke in. "What are you- Hermione!" The two boys rushed over to their friend as she struggled to get out of bed. Ron immediately started pushing her back down.

"Damn it, Ron, help me up." Hermione panted out.

"No. What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"Our stupid git of a best friend poked a dragon in the eye and now he wants to race it to see who can get to its treasure first."

"What?"

"Harry's going to open his connection with You Know Who and hope that Nagini's death will make him think about what and where his other horcruxes are and then he's going to go haring off to wherever they are to try and destroy them. Aren't you?!"

"I am." Harry's calm response to Hermione's accusation left Ron staring at him, slack-jawed. "Hermione, you should really lie back down. You're still healing."

"Don't give me that crap, Harry Potter! Did you honestly think we were going to let you face him alone?" Ron's shocked expression had shifted to Hermione at the unexpected use of profanity before twisting into something pained when she told Harry of her intentions.

"Hermione, right now you can't even get out of bed on your own. Did you really think that I was going to let you join a fight?"

"I don't care! I don't! Together until the end, Harry. We promised." Tears were starting to leak from Hermione's eyes as she almost begged to be allowed to fight. Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Ron's mouth open in confusion and he was sure that the redhead was about to ask when they had promised that. Harry ignored it in favour of trying to get Hermione to see reason. He sat down on the bed and took her hand in his.

"This will be the end. I don't want to see you hurt again and right now it's almost guaranteed that you would be." Harry had expected more arguments, more tears, anything except a bone-crushing hug really.

"I'm not going to sit around and twiddle my thumbs, Harry. I might not be able to fight but you might need me for something else. I'm coming with you and you're not going to stop me."

"Hermione, I-" Harry's words were cut off as he grit his teeth in an attempt to keep from screaming in agony. Images filled his mind of McNair being tortured next to the headless body of a snake. Riddle's rage was beyond anything Harry had ever felt from him before, but he couldn't help but notice the abject fear underpinning it.  _About time he got to feel some of that._  Forcing the pain down deep Harry tried to focus on Riddle's thoughts.

The emotions kept rational words from forming, but Harry caught the desperate flow of images that repeated itself through Riddle's mind. A cup, Bella and Gringotts. A locket, a lake and an army of inferi. A ring, a shack and Morfin Gaunt. A diary and Lucius; destroyed;  _rage_. A silver circlet, a bust, a room of hidden things on the seventh floor of Hogwarts. Nagini lying headless on the floor in front of him.  _Rage! HurtHurtHurt him! Destroy the traitor!_  With a monumental effort Harry pulled himself out of the maelstrom that was the Dark Lord's thoughts and found himself lying in the arms of his best friends.

"Hogwarts. The last one's at Hogwarts." Harry croaked out as he struggled to sit up.

"The last one? What are you talking about mate? Even if you somehow managed to get the cup and destroy it we still need to kill the snake, right?" Ron was looking a little wide-eyed at Harry who was already struggling to get up.

"Just taken care of. We need to go to Hogwarts before he finishes torturing McNair long enough to think rationally."

"Harry, are you sure about this?" Hermione asked carefully.

"Very." Harry grunted, fighting back the waves of pain still emanating from his scar. "I'm apparating to the Shrieking Shack in half an hour if you still think you're up for it."

"I'm not letting you do this alone." Hermione snapped.

"Neither am I." Ron's nerves were clearly rattled, but his determination shone through. Harry gave them both a nod.

"I'm going to warn Bill and Fleur to put the Order on standby. We'll need them if Riddle decides that he wants to come looking for his little treasures himself." As Harry walked out of the room he saw the way his friends were looking at each other, but this time that uncomfortable clench in his chest was less intense.  _Or maybe I'm just getting used to it. Best just let them have their privacy. Who knows they might even talk some sense into each other and stay here._

Harry found his two hosts sitting in the kitchen, their pale faces making it clear that they knew something was up. When he walked in their eyes snapped over to him.

"'Arry, what is 'appening?" Fleur asked him in a shaky voice.

"We're heading to Hogwarts to take care of the last of those cursed objects I told you about. Riddle knows that at least some of them are gone and he's...  _annoyed_. I want you two to warn the Order and anyone else who might be willing to lend a hand to be on alert. I expect the bastard to put in an appearance sooner or later and we could use any and all help when he does. Be sure that you warn them who we'll be facing. I don't want anyone who's not completely willing to get dragged into this fight." Harry could see the way Bill paled at his warning that the Dark Lord himself was likely to be the opponent and that anyone who didn't want to face that kind of threat should certainly stay home.

"You are 'eading out already, are you not?" Fleur asked once Harry had finished speaking and Bill was still digesting what Harry was asking of them.

"I am."

"Zen please be careful, mon ami. I shall not be forgiving if you are injured because you were careless in ze face of zis zreat. Am I understood?"

"I don't know, Fleur. The accent's a little thick." Harry teased with a small grin, thankful that she was willing to show concern for him but unwilling to make a promise he couldn't keep. Fleur punched his shoulder for the comment before pulling him into a tight hug.

"I mean it, 'Arry Potter. Survive zis." When she finally released him Harry looked over at Bill who seemed to be struggling with something before he spoke up again.

"Harry? I know he was a bit of git recently, but please… do your best to take care of my little brother for me?"

"I'm not going to let anyone else die if I can help it, Bill." The older man gave a nod at that promise and shook Harry's hand before dashing off to grab the floo powder and start making calls. Harry sat down on the chair next to Fleur to wait for his friends and whatever they might tell him.  _I'm not sure if I'm hoping they come down and tell me that they're coming with me or staying here._  He was vaguely aware of Fleur bustling around the kitchen, straightening things that didn't need to be straightened and running a cloth over impeccably clean surfaces.  _Weird. Aunt Petunia used to do the same thing when she was nervous... not that Fleur is anything like her! Definitely not._ Harry shook himself, dismissing the odd thought, and focused on waiting for his self-imposed time limit to expire. In the end it was a surprise when three people entered the room instead of two.

"Luna?"

"Ronald asked me to help Hermione get dressed. The only reason I can think of for her to get dressed is if you are running off to face You Know Who. I'd rather like to join you." Harry blinked at what had to be the most absent sounding declaration of war in the history of the human race.

"Luna, are you sure? This is going to be dangerous."

"Oh, yes, I'm quite sure."

"Right. I don't think that I can apparate three people though."

"You said we'd be heading to the Shrieking Shack, right?" Ron asked.

"I thought we'd apparate there, yes. It shouldn't have any wards against getting  _in_. From there we can take the passage to the Whomping Willow and get someone to let us into the castle."

"Someone?" Hermione asked.

"You'll see."

"Well, if it's to the Shrieking Shack I should be able to manage that." Ron said thoughtfully. "Why don't I take Hermione and you take Luna?" Harry gave Ron a piercing look to warn him that he had better be sure that he wasn't going to splinch their friend and got a resolute look in return.

"Alright, let's go." Harry reached out and took Luna's hand in his own. He gave it a warning squeeze to let his friend know that they were going to be departing and then twisted his magic around him. A few moments later he found himself standing in the bedroom where he had first confronted Wormtail and Sirius. A loud crack announced the arrival of Ron and Hermione next to them. Hermione was leaning heavily on Ron when they landed and Harry cursed himself in his thoughts for letting her come along despite the fact that he knew she would have just tried to apparate after them if he had left her behind.  _I'll just have to make sure that she's somewhere safe as soon as possible._ "Everyone here and unsplinched?"

"Yeah, I reckon we are mate." Ron answered for the group.

"Good. Dobby! Kreacher!" With twin pops the two elves appeared in front of the teens. Harry heard something next to him that might have been an aborted growl. He refused to look over at Hermione as he didn't want to see her disapproval of this part of his plan.

"Master calls Dobby and Kreacher?" the elder of the two elves asked.

"I did, Kreacher. We've discovered that there is another item inside the castle like the locket that Master Regulus tried to destroy; like the diary that we destroyed in my second year at the school." Harry told the two elves. Each snapped to attention when they heard about another example of the vile magic they had helped destroy being present in the castle.

"What can Dobby and Kreacher be doing to help Harry Potter, sir?" Dobby asked, standing as straight as he possibly could.

"We need to get into the castle without anyone knowing about it. The object we need is in the Come and Go Room. I expect that the Room's being used by Neville Longbottom and some of the other students right now. I need you to open a path for us and to warn Neville that we're coming." The two elves looked at each other and gave simultaneous nods.

"We can be doing this." Kreacher confirmed. "Dobby will get yous the path; Kreacher will warn the Longbottom boy. Master is please to be waiting here." Without further explanation the two little beings disappeared.

"Harry James Potter, what do you think you are doing getting them involved in this?" Though her voice was weaker than usual, Hermione had no problem making her displeasure known.

"They know more about the castle than anyone else and wizards in general don't pay attention to them. We know that Dobby and Kreacher are loyal to us over the Death Eaters running Hogwarts. In short: they are our best chance of getting into Hogwarts unnoticed."

"And what if Snape or one of the others asks a question that reveals that they helped us?"

"That won't happen."

"How can you be sure?!" Harry finally turned to face Hermione and she flinched away from what she saw in his eyes.  _I thought as much. I guess I really will lose every friendship I ever had over this._

"Because once we destroy the horcrux, the Death Eaters in the castle are next." Harry said coldly, in case there was any confusion about his intentions. The tension in the air was thankfully disturbed by a loud pop. Harry turned back to find Dobby carrying a large portrait of a young woman who smiled and waved at him as she was hung on the wall. The moment her frame was secure, she turned around and walked of into the distance of the landscape behind her. "Dobby?"

"Mister Neville Longbottom is coming soon, Harry Potter, sir." the little elf answered as if that explained everything. The waiting teens shared a look before turning their attention back to the recently hung portrait. It took several minutes of waiting before they could see the form of the girl reappearing in the distance. It seemed to take an agonisingly long time for her to reach her original position, but when she did she smiled at them again.

"He is coming." was all she said before swinging her portrait open.

"Harry?! It's really you!" Harry found himself dragged into a massive hug by a bear of a man.

"Neville?" he asked in disbelief.

"Oh man, I couldn't believe it when that old elf said that you were waiting for me at the end of the passage, but I'm so happy I took the chance! Weird to see it ending the Shrieking Shack though."

"Yeah, I'm happy to see you too, Nev, but could you let me go? We have a psychopath and some minions to get rid of." Neville set Harry back on the floor and took a step back so that they could finally see his grinning face.

"Harry, not sound rude or anything but… you look like shit, mate." Judging by the way Neville's eyes flickered over Harry's shoulder to Hermione, Harry assumed that this was supposed to be a polite way of telling Hermione that she wasn't looking well either.  _Whether it is or not, if he's not mentioning that Hermione should be in her bed then I'm not going to make things awkward by bringing it up either._

"I'm not surprised. I take it that the other end of this connects to the Room of Requirement?"

"You bet. Come on, I'll show you." Neville ducked back into the portrait followed by Harry, Luna and then Ron who was half-carrying Hermione. As they entered the tunnel Harry asked Dobby to take the portrait back to her original location as soon as he could so she wouldn't be stuck in such a cheerless room. After that he had to focus on the uneven footing as they made their way through the passageway the portrait had revealed. There was a distinct incline to the path, making Harry believe that they were currently climbing their way up to the seventh floor where the room was; somehow.  _Despite this passage being nowhere it should be it still slopes up. Magic is so strange sometimes._

This odd moment of magic's attempt at logic did nothing to stop him from worrying about Hermione though. He couldn't see her behind him but he could hear her laboured breathing and lamented once again that he hadn't been able to convince her to stay behind.

"Just a little farther. We're almost there." Neville called out from the front of the group.  _I wonder if it was going up and down this path that gave Nev his growth spurt._  Ahead of them Harry thought he could see a pinprick of light. It grew steadily as they got closer and he began to realise that it must mark the end of their trek.  _Just a little farther. We're so close to finally ending this war; to making that bastard mortal again._  The realisation of all their goals finally being within reach gave Harry the strength to keep going even after he had spent a long, cold day staking out Diagon and Knockturn. When they finally reached what turned out to be an open portrait hole Neville turned back just long enough to give them a wink that would have made Fred and George proud before stepping through and throwing his arms wide.

"Hey! Everyone! Guess who's popped by for a cuppa?" Deciding to humour his friend Harry stepped out into the light and blinked the stars from his eyes. There was a moment of hushed silence during which Harry managed to notice that he was standing on top of a pile of tables that had clearly been placed there just to reach the portrait hole and that he was being stared at by dozens of students. After that split second everything descended into chaos. The students broke into loud cheers which only intensified when Neville helped first Luna and then Ron and Hermione out onto the makeshift scaffold. The noise didn't stop until Harry stepped forward and raised his hands for silence. A hush descended over the crowd so quickly that Harry almost checked to make sure that he hadn't accidentally used a wand-less spell.

"Everyone, thank you for that welcome back." Harry was forced to pause as the students decided that statement merited another cheer. "We've come here to strike the final blow to the Dark magic that Riddle used to keep himself alive when he attacked my parents all those years ago. Tonight we will ensure that he is no more than any other bully. Tonight we will take back the castle." Even more cheers met this declaration. "In order to make this happen I need something from all of you. I need you to return to your Houses and get everyone else ready. I need you to rally your Heads of House, your fellow students and any teachers you trust. As soon as we take control of the school, our first priority will be to get the younger students and those who don't want to fight to safety. If there is anyone in your House who is likely to warn the other side: restrain them."

"What about Snape and the Carrows?" someone called from the crowd.

"You can leave them to me." Harry told them calmly. "Now: get ready to move out. We're going to get this done before they even realise something's going on." As the students below them started milling about to find their Housemates, Harry turned to the others on the scaffold with him. "Nev, you have the most up to date knowledge on the school; you're in charge of sending them to the proper locations."

"I'll help you, Neville." Luna offered, winning a shy smile from the hulking boy in front of her. Harry couldn't help a grin of his own at seeing his friends working together again.

"Ron, Hermione…" the fierce glare his best friend was shooting him told Harry that any suggestion of staying behind or resting was going to be ignored. "You two should be the ones to go find McGonagall. She's more likely to listen to Hermione than anyone else. Stick with her until the school makes her Headmistress."

"You're really going to go through with this then, Harry?" Hermione asked sounding worried.

"Yeah. Riddle's going to come here once he's done checking the hiding spots he can get to more easily. He's worried and that means that Hogwarts just became a target. If I don't take out at least the three professors who are loyal to him then defending the school becomes a lot more difficult. He'd have troops on the inside and we don't know how many more tricks like broom-less flight he has up his sleeve or how many he's passed on to his followers. It'd be stupidly dangerous." A narrowing of Hermione's eyes told him what she thought about having her own words thrown back at her for such a cause.

"Um, we should probably get down there. It looks like everyone's ready to go." Ron broke into the staring match between the other two. Harry looked over at the redhead and nodded.

"Right. Let's go." It didn't take long for Neville to divide the students up into groups and assign them their tasks. Harry got the impression that this had been done before, though perhaps not with these goals.

He noticed that Ginny was shooting him looks from one of the Gryffindor groups. She even made a few abortive movements to come over, but Harry was selfishly glad for whatever held her back in the end.  _I have no idea what I would even say to her, but I know that any conversation with her would way too distracting right now._  He watched as the groups slipped out through various exits that Neville explained to him were closer to their destinations to help them avoid getting caught. When the last ones had left and Harry was all alone he focused on reshaping the room to the configuration he had found it in when he had hidden Snape's Potions book the year before. Harry closed his eyes as the walls began to swirl about him to keep a sudden bout of nausea under control. He didn't open them again until he could no longer hear anything moving around him.

Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of a cathedral sized hall filled with piles of junk that reached to the roof. Doing his best to remember what he had seen in Riddle's mind only an hour or so earlier Harry began walking among the towers of garbage. He drew the Sword of Gryffindor from his mokeskin pouch as he went, determined to have it ready at the first sight of the horcrux he now knew would be Ravenclaw's Lost Diadem. After only two wrong turns he was finally faced with the gaudy bust he remembered from Riddle's thoughts.  _This is it. The final piece except for Riddle himself._

It occurred to Harry that this was something of a momentous occasion as he raised the sword above his head. The last of the horcruxes was about to be destroyed. Perhaps he should take the time to appreciate this? Maybe even come up with a better setting to destroy it in. One where he would be able to gloat as he did it right in front of Riddle…  _NO! Damn it, Potter, that's the horcrux talking. Destroy it! NOW!_

With a sound like a ringing bell the blade of the sword struck down onto the priceless treasure. Harry watched as the silver melted, running along the bust in a strange parody of sweat or blood. The first drip was just threatening to fall from the bust's chin when the expected cloud of black smoke burst forth with an unholy scream. Harry waited for the smoke and the scream to disappear completely before he wrenched the sword out of the bust.  _Now it really is done._

_No, don't get complacent. There is still Riddle himself and he's not likely to be the easiest of the lot._ Harry gave himself a mental shake and turned back the way he had come.  _I can't hang around here. I promised everyone I would take care of Snape and the Carrows and it's time to follow through._ As soon as he cleared the piles of junk, Harry leant the sword up against a wall so that he could draw the map and his cloak from the mokeskin pouch at his neck.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Rather than search the sprawling map by hand, Harry placed the tip of his wand against the parchment and muttered: "Amycus Carrow". The map rustled and rearranged itself in his hands and Harry found himself looking at the two dots representing the Carrow twins rushing down a corridor a few floors below him.  _Two for the price of one. That'll work._

Harry stuffed the map into his pocket and flung the cloak over his shoulders as he used what Neville had just taught him and asked for an exit that would take him into the Carrows' path. A small door appeared right in front of him and, after a quick check to make sure that the cloak completely covered him, he grabbed the Sword of Gryffindor and ducked through.

Harry emerged in an alcove, looking at the back of a suit of armour. In the distance he could hear hurried footsteps and panting breaths. He sidled around the armour so that he would be able to launch the first strike unobstructed. A long minute later he caught sight of a stocky pair rounding the corner. He froze in place when they came to a stop just before they reached him.  _Shit. Did I give myself away somehow?_  Harry was still debating whether to attack or stay still when the two in front of him started arguing.

"Where are you going?! We should be heading down that way!"

"What?! Why?! Gryffindor Tower is this way."

"Damn the lions. They're so full of themselves that they'll be bragging about whatever they did by morning. We need to catch those damn Puffs in the act. We've not been able to pin a damn thing on them yet and you know it."

"The duffers won't matter if we catch the Gryffindors. That lot are the leaders of whatever is going on, mark my words." As the two siblings distracted themselves Harry crept closer under the cloak. He positioned himself behind Alecto and took a steadying breath that was inaudible thanks to the bickering. Opening the cloak slightly Harry flicked the Sword of Gryffindor out and nicked her on the ankle. Her yelp of pain, followed by a boneless collapse alerted her brother to the fact that something was wrong.

"Alecto?!" He didn't spend a lot of time wondering what had happened and instead drew his wand and raised it threateningly as he started scanning the corridor. "If you little guttersnipes show yourself this instant I promise you'll only receive a week's worth of detentions with my seventh years. If I have to drag you out you'll be serving your punishment with me personally."  _That sounds like yet another reason to kill you._

Harry once again made his way to the Death Eaters back and let the sword flick out. Amycus' threats died with him in a gurgling rattle.  _Serves you right. One left._  Harry drew the map out of his pocket and found out that Snape was pacing in the Headmaster's office. With grim determination in every step Harry began to make his way there. When he finally reached the gargoyle Harry checked the map again and, like it had with the humpbacked witch in his third year, a speech bubble appeared next to his dot.

"Death is the solution to all problems. No man; no problem." In response to the rather morbid phrase the gargoyle leapt aside and the stairs started turning. On the map Harry could see that Snape had stopped pacing. Making a quick decision Harry rode the stairs to the top where he crouched and waited.

"Come in." Snape's impatient voice sounded through the door. Harry didn't move a muscle. "I said come in!" Harry didn't twitch. On the other side of the door he could hear Snape approaching the door, annoyance ringing out in every step. A moment later the door was wrenched open. "If this is supposed to be a prank I'll make sure you- hrk!"

It all felt like it was happening in slow motion to Harry. As soon as he could see his hated enemy's chest he had lunged forward, driving the sword in front of him. He felt the cloak slipping off of his shoulders as the sword of Gryffindor plunged into Snape's chest. It wasn't until he was supporting most of the Potions Master's weight on the blade that the world seemed to come rushing back in. Harry stepped back, ripping the sword out and watching Snape collapse to his knees.

"P-potter?" Snape sounded dumbfounded that he had been killed by his most hated student.

"Don't worry, Snape. I'll send your beloved master to join you soon." Harry felt a grim sense of satisfaction that the man who had murdered Dumbledore and brought about the open rule of the Death Eaters died with an expression of horror etched on his face. As the body slumped sideways Harry heard another voice coming from the office.

"Harry... what have you done?" He looked up to see the ashen-faced portrait of Albus Dumbledore staring at him in dismay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think everyone can see that we're heading into the final stretch here (the endgame of Endgame?). Yes, I realise that the Thief's Downfall should have taken care of the Imperius, but to be honest the goblins were more than a little suspicious of Hermione the moment she walked in. I doubt that they would react the same way to a pair of actual Death Eaters. If we assume that the Downfall doesn't soak everyone who passes through it then it might be active all the time, otherwise I doubt bigoted terrorists who believe they are a superior master race would accept that kind of treatment. So, for this fic assume that you always get soaked unless you give the proper password before heading down so that the goblins take the cart on a different route (or some kind of similar measure that allows people to keep their fancy, expensive robes dry and clear of anything a goblin might have used as a urinal to get some petty revenge). Harry's command to "act as you normally would" would make them give that password to avoid the Downfall.
> 
> Honestly, throwing a bag of gold into the street for starving people to fight over probably isn't the way to help them without at least some of them getting hurt and dying, but Harry's still working off of what happened in the first chapter where there was a scramble outside the ATM and no one got hurt because those people weren't anywhere near desperate enough to actually fight over the money in the street.
> 
> Anyone else ever wonder why the Trio apparated into the streets of the only all magical village in the country? Sure they were under the invisibility cloak, but as Harry and Hermione discussed when they were planning their trip to Godric's Hollow: that's not foolproof (and they were plenty foolish). Also: Dobby can be a massive help when he's not dead. Even if he had been killed there's still Kreacher. Lucking into the one safe way into Hogwarts was just so... unnecessary. Honestly, calling the elves for a scouting report would have been even better, but these are freaked out teenagers, not military commanders, so running off half-cocked in this situation felt more natural.
> 
> Similarly: if you've managed to infiltrate the school, don't muck about declaiming your intentions to the evil headmaster character while you could have been taking your free shot. Oh, well. On to the finale.
> 
> And don't even get me started on the map that can apparently give you the passwords needed to sneak through Hogwarts which is only ever used once like that in canon. That silly little guessing game in front of the gargoyle should always be utterly unnecessary if you have the map.


	8. Chapter 8

_"Harry... what have you done?" He looked up to see the ashen-faced portrait of Albus Dumbledore staring at him in dismay._

:-:-:-:-:

Harry looked up at the portrait of the man who had set him on his quest and tried to decide how to answer that.

"I have ended a threat to the students of Hogwarts and the people of Britain, both magical and not, Headmaster." was the response he eventually settled on.

"No, Harry. You have murdered a friend. Severus has been working for the light since the last war. He was perhaps the bravest of us all."

"What are you talking about?" Harry snapped out impatiently, desperately ignoring the pit that threatened to open up just under his heart. "This is the man who killed you, remember?"

"I remember. I also remember how much effort I had to put into getting him to do that. I was dying anyway, Harry, and I asked Severus to end my life should the opportunity arise. That way young Mr. Malfoy might still have a chance to save his soul."

"Are you serious?!" Harry felt a cold shiver slide down his spine at that revelation and that fathomless pit opened just a little wider.

"Yes, Harry. Do you understand now? You have murdered an innocent man." Dumbledore's casual statement caused a wave of anger in Harry that washed aside the hesitant guilt that had taken a hold of him and slammed that pit of guilt closed like almost nothing else could have.

"I'm not sure that having your permission to end your life exonerates him of all the other murders he's committed where he didn't have that permission or the way he's prosecuted his students." Harry hissed at the portrait.

"And you believe that you have the right to decide the depth of Severus' guilt?"

"Maybe; maybe not. The 'depth of his guilt' is not the point here though. Riddle will come here soon enough and we cannot afford to have his loyal supporters near potential hostages."

"I believe I have already proven that Severus was not loyal to Voldemort." Dumbledore scolded.

"No, you claimed that he was not. Professor McGonagall taught us the difference between proof and assumption in our first year."

"You will not trust my word on this?"

"Not if you can't back it up." The final tone of Harry's words caused the portrait to heave a disappointed sigh.

"I believe you may yet come to regret what you have done. Severus had some important information for you."

"I probably wouldn't have believed him anyway." Harry shrugged as he flicked his wand and conjured a white sheet over the dead body."I'm going to call Professor McGonagall to let her know that she just became acting Headmistress." He moved towards the fireplace.

"Wait! Harry, the information that Severus had for you is best not shared with anyone; not even Minerva."

"Somehow, I don't think he feels up to sharing, regardless of who else might be here." Harry deadpanned.

"... I also know this information." the portrait admitted reluctantly. Harry rolled his eyes.  _Of course you do._ _If you really wanted to tell me though, you would have already. Let's see whether you really want to share or if you just want to keep me talking._

"Well, then you'd better get to the point." Harry said, deliberately airy, as he grabbed the pot of floo powder off of the mantle.

"It concerns your connection with Voldemort!" the portrait called out desperately. Harry felt himself tense at the portrait's use of the Taboo name before realising that either a portrait's words didn't register with whatever spell monitored the Taboo or that the Hogwarts wards were keeping any Snatching party out. As the tension flowed out of him Harry refocused on Dumbledore's likeness which was watching him expectantly.

"And?"

"Have you never wondered what it is?"

"You know I have. You were the one who kept refusing to answer any questions about it. I've stopped caring though. All of Riddle's horcruxes are gone and when Professor McGonagall gets here we can start planning for how we're going to get rid of the last piece as well."

"No, Harry, they aren't all gone. One more yet remains; one that you couldn't possibly know about."

"One more?! What have you hidden from me this-" Harry froze as his mind put together Dumbledore's cryptic clues. "You're trying to say that I am a horcrux." he breathed out in horror. Dumbledore's portrait just nodded sadly.

"Yes, you are. I believed a connection of sorts was possible when Hagrid first took you from the ruins of your parents' house, though I didn't begin to divine its true nature until you dropped that diary on my desk in your second year. Even then I was not entirely without doubts until your fifth year when you witnessed Nagini's attack on Arthur Weasley. You described being the snake. That should have been utterly impossible if there wasn't a connection between the two of you at the soul level and that confirmed what I had begun to fear: you were both horcruxes for Lord Voldemort." Harry dropped into one of the chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk and let his head fall into his hands as he tried to come to terms with what he was being told.  _It's a lie. It has to be a lie... except a portrait doesn't have anything to gain by this lie... and he actually provided his reasoning for this claim. Damn, blast and shatter it all! This isn't_ fair _! We were so close. I was supposed to be able to see the end of this ancients cursed war. Was my destiny all along to be nothing more than the Boy Who Lived To Die?_

"So I have to die?" Harry asked in a voice that sounded distant to his own ears.  _At least I don't have to worry about getting locked up in Azkaban for using an Unforgivable that way_ a particularly morbid part of Harry's mind commented.  _Death is definitely preferable to a lifetime of dementors._

"Yes." Dumbledore admitted sadly. "What's more, Lord Voldemort will have to do it himself. That is very important."

"Why?"

"Because that is the only way you will be able to protect your loved ones after life has left your body."

"Like my mother..." Harry sat there for a little while longer trying to work his way through this newest problem. He couldn't come up with any solution that was better than the one Dumbledore had presented to him though.  _If I don't die, then neither does he. If I take my own life then there is nothing protecting my friends. If I let him kill me then there is a chance that the magic that protected me might protect some of them._

_Whatever it takes for them to see the end of this, Potter. Hermione is going to be_ _so_ angry _with me for doing something stupidly noble._  Harry finally got up from his seat and grabbed the pot of floo powder he had set down on the table during Dumbledore's revelations.

"We're still going to have to prepare the castle for Riddle's arrival." he said numbly.  _I don't know if it's the prospect of dying, but it feels like I'm barely tethered to my body right now._ " _Incendio._  Professor McGonagall." The flames flared green in front of him and a moment later his Head of House stepped out of them.

"Potter! It is good to see you again. What has become of Headmaster Snape?" McGonagall exclaimed as she pulled Harry into a hug. Harry just let it happen, unable to muster enough energy to resist like he normally would have. He did nod over at the sheet-covered body when she asked about Snape though. "I see. I wish I could say that you made the wrong choice there, but I can only be happy that that Death Eater is no longer around to terrorise the children."

"Minerva! Surely you don't mean that?!" Dumbledore's portrait exclaimed.

"I most certainly do, Albus." McGonagall snapped back as she whirled to face the canvas. "That- that - that  _beast_  ordered the Cruciatus Curse used against children as a punishment! He managed to find the one way to ruin their futures more effectively than his abysmal teaching! It would have been unconscionable to let him live!" Harry watched as Dumbledore's portrait somehow paled again.  _I wonder how he does that when his paint should have already set in its colours?_  The absent thought crashed through the numbness that had taken over Harry's mind ever since Dumbledore had told him that he needed to die. Unable to hide in that sensation of muted feelings any more Harry took a shuddering breath and spoke up before the witch and the painting could continue their argument.

"We can debate the morality of what I did later. Right now we have to prepare to face a royally hacked off Dark Lord." Harry said in a bone weary voice and found himself the recipient of a pair of bashful looks for his interruption. "Headmistress McGonagall, we need to find a safe place for any students that cannot or will not fight. I don't think we can find one inside the castle so we should probably think about evacuating them." McGonagall nodded, the use of her new title seeming to have snapped her out of her embarrassment.

"The Order still has several safe-houses, Mr. Potter." she said thoughtfully. "We could send the children there. I will not allow anyone who is not of age to fight."

"I have no objections to that. We should probably gather as many adults as we can who are prepared to fight. Preferably aurors and the like who have been trained for conflict. The real problem is what do we do with the students who support the Death Eaters? Is there somewhere we can restrain them or should we just dose them with Draught of the Living Death and leave them in their dorms?" Harry's rather practical questions started a discussion that soon had Headmistress McGonagall summoning her Heads of House. Once they were joined by Professors Flitwick, Sprout and Slughorn, the four Heads began working together to come up with a plan of action. Harry reminded them occasionally that they could use Neville and the resurrected Dumbledore's Army to accomplish certain tasks, but for the most part he just let them organise themselves.  _They are going to have to carry out most of these plans without me anyway._

:-:-:-:-:

Hermione Granger was frustrated. After Harry had called Professor McGonagall away on the night of their arrival, she and Ron had gone up to the Gryffindor tower where they received a hero's welcome from their housemates. Everyone seemed utterly thrilled about the idea that they were back and that they would be ending the grip the Death Eaters had on the school.  _Given some of the stories they told last night I wouldn't be surprised if they'd have welcomed Umbridge in the same way if she would just stop Snape and the Carrows. The C-cruciatus Curse as a punishment? As part of the_ curriculum _?!_ The idea that Hogwarts' long history of educating young witches and wizards had been perverted like that had caused an almost physical pain in Hermione. Not that she was short on actual physical pain.  _And not like I can hide it from my friends either_  Hermione's thoughts chuntered in disgust.

Harry had returned to an even louder cheer than she and Ron had received, though it seemed to affect him a good deal less than usual. Harry had only closed his eyes briefly and then he was accepting backslaps and congratulations from the press of students that surrounded him.  _I wonder if they knew what they were actually congratulating him for? I want to believe that at least some of them would shy away if they knew that he had murdered all those people, but I'm not so sure_ _that they_ _would._   _I'm not so sure I should._

It was a thought that haunted Hermione's quieter moments. There were days when she could only be grateful that Lestrange would never be able to harm another innocent. That Wormtail wouldn't be able to spy on the Light with his rat form any more. That the Death Eaters who had controlled the school would never be able to use Dark magic on another student.  _But it's wrong. We're supposed to rise above our baser instincts. That's what makes us the Light: we do what is right, not what is easy. It's just... which is which in this case?_

Her confusion hadn't stopped her from wanting to spend time with Harry, but she had forced herself to take a step back and try to see him without taking anything for granted; it was a confusing sight. One thing she could confirm without a doubt was that Harry had changed from what she thought she knew.  _Or maybe the war changed him._  It scared her a little to think that she might have blinded herself to who her best friend really was. So she observed and took note.

Harry had become quieter than she remembered. He had never been a talkative boy, but now he was even more prone to spending large parts of the day with his own thoughts. Hermione had also noticed that Harry didn't share  _everything_ with her. She could rationally admit to herself that he was under no obligation to do so and that everyone was entitled to their secrets, but she noticed that he would occasionally censor what he said to her. It made her think that this secret was big and, more importantly, that it was somehow going to affect her as well. If it did affect her then she felt that Harry owed it to her to share it with her so she could be a part of the decision.  _I thought that after all we had been through together that he would be able to trust me more, but apparently not._

The most worrying thing of all was the change to Harry's eyes. They used to be the best way to read what he was thinking and feeling, but lately they had become hard and distant.  _It could be down to_ _Harry progressing with_ _his occlumency, but somehow it feels like there is something else at work here._ It was this change more than any other that made Hermione wonder if she had already lost the boy she thought of as her best friend.

On the other hand, Harry seemed to be more observant than ever and had somehow applied that talent to her in particular, as he had demonstrated on that first night. Once he had managed to push his way through the crowd to where Ron and she were waiting he had cast one look over her. Hermione had noticed that his eyes seemed to linger on the areas where she was feeling the most pain. Before she could head him off by asking about what they were going to do next Harry had declared that she was going up to the hospital wing. Hermione had done her absolute best to dissuade him from dragging her through the entire school at that time of night, but Harry had been implacable. She had been forced to capitulate when Harry had reminded her of something she had told him after a particularly rough Quidditch practice.  _"Like you once told me:_ _'_ _it would be silly to sit here and suffer because you're too proud to admit that you need help. If you don't come with me I'm going to have to put you in a Full Body Bind and levitate you to Madam Pomfrey... and I won't tell her exactly what's wrong so that you can enjoy a full exam._ _' Now it's your turn to listen to sense and have an actual healer check you over._ _" Damn. I hope I didn't look too much like a fish with a my jaw swinging open._

Hermione had gone with him at that point, partly because she thought he might actually go through with his threat and partly because she didn't want to undercut her arguments for getting Harry to see the school matron over the past seven years.  _It would feel too much like I had been... wrong; well, hypocritical at least._ She did have to admit now that it had been a good idea on Harry's part. Madam Pomfrey had run a few diagnostic charms while Harry did his best to recount what had happened. Hermione had been given a phial of Dreamless Sleep Potion and had immediately slipped into a restful oblivion.

The next morning she had woken up to the realisation that a full night's sleep had been desperately needed. The pain seemed to have receded with leaps and bounds. When she had asked Madam Pomfrey about it the healer had responded that her body couldn't heal if it was under constant tension. That tension was apparently also the reason that she had been unable to sleep through the night up until now and that had caused a vicious spiral. Forcing her body to rest had been the first step in breaking that spiral. Now she was being given potions that would help with the tissue regeneration in the nerves that had been harmed by the Cruciatus as well as nightly doses of Dreamless Sleep Potion.

Despite the improvement Hermione was far from completely well though. The tremors had lessened, but without them it became clear that Hermione was having trouble with her motor functions and that things like dropped glasses might not end with her tremors. She was slowly regaining her memories and her ability to reason through what was happening around her, but she still found herself easily distracted. Madam Pomfrey had refused to tell her how much of what she was experiencing now was permanent.  _'It's still too early in your healing process. You may recover completely or you might run into other problems once you progress in you rehabilitation.' If I assume she was trying to keep me in a positive mindset to aid my healing, like Mum and Dad said doctors sometimes do... no. I'm not letting this beat me. I am Hermione Granger. I am the brightest witch of my age. I was sorted into Gryffindor. I_ will _overcome this, no matter what._  All of that resolution hadn't been a lick of use in convincing anyone that she was right and so Hermione was stuck in the hospital wing, resting and occasionally engaging in physiotherapy, while the rest of the castle prepared for the attack that was sure to come.

On this particular day, Ron had spent a good deal of the first morning sitting next to her bed until Madam Pomfrey had made a comment that if he was going to be sitting around he might as well help her brew potions to deal with the aftermath of the Dark Lord's attack. Ron had disappeared a quick goodbye later.

Harry had dropped by a little later looking utterly exhausted. He had told her what was going on the rest of the castle, which had been a balm for her anxiety. Knowledge had always been cathartic for Hermione. She had been slightly worried that Harry looked so worn down and got him to admit that he had barely slept. He confessed to her that Riddle knew that several of his horcruxes were gone. The goblins had suffered a massacre at Gringotts from Riddle's fury.

"The cup?" she had asked him. Harry had simply nodded. "How?"

"Not now." he had said with a significant nod towards Madam Pomfrey. Hermione had accepted that with a quiet nod even though a part of her was sure that Harry was just uncomfortable with whatever he had done to get the cup out of  _Gringotts_  of all places.  _I hope he didn't do anything too bad to get a hold of that horcrux. His reluctance to talk about it just isn't promising though._

Harry had left again when a panicked looking fifth year came sprinting into the hospital wing gasping out that the Headmistress wanted to see him right away. Hermione had watched Harry's face go blank, showing none of the exhaustion she had been able to read from him a moment ago. He had told her a calm goodbye and gone with the rather starstruck kid to find out what Professor McGonagall needed him for. Left alone again Hermione had thought about whether she had been reading too much into Harry's distance. Seeing him with someone else had rather clearly showed her that Harry was still a lot more open with her than with anyone else.

After dinner Ron stopped by for another visit. He spent most of the time complaining about everyone wanting him to perform one task or another, but Hermione appreciated it nonetheless as it added to her understanding of what was going on around the castle. Unfortunately Madam Pomfrey's appearance chased Ron away once again.

As she settled in for the night, Hermione once again tried to test her mind. Over the past two days there had been a marked improvement, but she still couldn't help but feel that there things that she  _needed_ to know just outside of her grasp. Her nights were quiet thanks to Madam Pomfrey's Dreamless Sleep Potion. Unfortunately during the days her nightmares still seemed to hide in the shadows every so often and no amount of reasoning allowed Hermione to convince herself that such things were impossible. With a sigh Hermione took her potion and laid back down as it did its work and pulled her down into the quiet darkness.

Hermione's captivity only lasted one more day after that. It was Harry himself who let her know that she wouldn't be kept in the bed much longer even if those weren't the words he'd used. He had come into the hospital wing looking more tired than Hermione had ever seen him. The bags under Harry's eyes were deep and dark and she could actually see how tense his shoulders were; as if he carried the whole world on his back.  _Why hasn't someone forced him to take some rest?_  Hermione knew the answer to her own question even as it formed in her mind.  _Because everyone wants him to save them and heroes don't need to rest. Bastards._

"Hey, Hermione. How are you doing today?" Even Harry's voice sounded tired. He had tried to inject a note of casual enthusiasm into his words that raised Hermione's neck-hairs.

"A lot better, Harry." Hermione answered firmly while trying to decipher what it was about Harry's mannerism was bothering her so much. Her train of thought seemed to be slipping away from her constantly though and she was forced to take a more direct approach than she usually would have. "What's wrong?" Harry shot her a rueful grin at her question.

"Seriously? I can't even distract you with two minutes of small talk?" Hermione just kept what she hoped was a stern glare aimed at him. Her control over her expressions still wasn't everything she might have wanted. She must have gotten this one right though as Harry sobered up. A part of Hermione wanted to kick herself for robbing him of that brief moment of levity, but something was wrong with Harry and she had to know what. "He's coming." Two words; two words were all it took to shake Hermione to her very core.

"You're sure?"

"Very. He's been running around gathering anyone he can get his hands on to throw at us. That's why I'm here actually." Harry drew something fluid and silvery out from under his shirt and held it out to her.  _His invisibility cloak?! Why on earth is he giving it to me? Is it so I can participate in the battle?_  Her curiosity must have shown on her face, because Harry started explaining himself without any prompting. "I really wish you would leave with the underage students and those who don't want to fight, but I also know that wishing doesn't get you anything. Hermione, if you do stay, please use the cloak to stay as safe as possible. I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt."

"I don't want you to get hurt either, Harry, and you're going to be in the middle of the fighting. You should keep it." Hermione demonstratively crossed her arms in front of her chest to show that she wouldn't be taking Harry's cloak.

"It's because I'll be in the middle of the fighting that I won't be able to use it properly. The Death Eaters aren't stupid. If they see spells coming out of thin air they'll start throwing every curse they can at that area. I wouldn't be able to use the cloak effectively for more than a minute or so and besides, Riddle wants me to himself. I'm actually safer if they can see who I am." Hermione tried to blink away her surprise as she processed that Harry really had thought this through. The uncomfortable look that stole across his face brought her focus roaring back.  _He's about to tell me something that he doesn't want to._  "Besides, if I-... if the worst should happen I don't want some filthy Death Eater to get their hands on my family's cloak."

"Harry James Potter, you had better not be thinking of breaking our promise." Hermione snapped out as fear tore down her nerves. Her hands shot out and grabbed his arms as her gaze sought out his eyes. They were clouded and Hermione couldn't help but think that Harry was still hiding something from her.

"I'm not going to break my promise, Hermione. We're going to see this thing through together, right to the very end."  _He looks like he's telling the truth. I'm just not sure he's telling me the whole truth._  Trying to work out any hidden meanings proved to be more than Hermione's Cruciatus ravaged mind could handle at the moment. She didn't realise that she had zoned out until Harry gave her hand a careful squeeze. "Hermione?"

"I'm alright, Harry."  _What were we talking about?_  The fact that she couldn't remember caused a well of shame to open in Hermione's chest.

"Then you'll still take the cloak?" he asked holding the silvery material out to her.  _I agreed to take his cloak?_  Not sure what her arguments had been that had made her doubt this course of action and unwilling to admit that out loud Hermione accepted what she knew to be one of Harry's most treasured possessions. As she let it slide across her hands, once again marvelling at the feel of it, Hermione saw a smile blossoming on Harry's face. "Thank you, Hermione. This makes me feel a lot better about tonight."  _What's happening tonight?_  Hermione almost asked the question out loud, but at the last moment her pride made her swallow it.  _I'll just ask Madam Pomfrey when she comes to check on me._

For the next few minutes Harry got his wished for small talk as Hermione tried to subtly probe for the information that was missing from her memories. The conversation was abruptly cut off when Harry stiffened in his chair, his jaw clenched so hard that Hermione could see the tendons standing out in his neck.

"I have to go." Harry gritted out. He pushed himself out of the chair his pained grimace never wavering.

"Why? Where are you going?" Hermione asked as she felt a familiar sensation of terror snaking up her spine. Harry's eyes locked onto hers for a moment and Hermione felt her breath leave her in a rush. Where his eyes had been clouded before, they  _blazed_ with power and determination now. Hermione found herself unable to move so much as a finger while that heavy gaze rested on her. All of a sudden Harry leant forward and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Hermione felt her body melting into the embrace. It took all of her willpower not to snuggle into his body and fall asleep.  _What- what's happening to me?_  Hermione's thoughts were derailed by a sensation on top of her head that she was surprised to identify in the back of her mind as Harry pressing a kiss to her crown. "Harry?"

"Stay safe, Hermione." Just like that Harry was gone. It took Hermione a full minute to recover from from the sensations that had chased each other through her body. Every breath she took was still laden with the scent of the wizard who had just held her before rushing out and each inhale seemed to bring the feeling of his arms around her back. The sensation was accompanied by a distinct feeling of warmth. Once again though Hermione couldn't quite break through the fog as she searched for  _why_  these feelings were assaulting her.  _It's important. I know it is. If I can just figure this out then I'm sure that the rest will fall into place as well._ _So think. What is the first time I rememb-_

Hermione was jolted out of her thoughts by a loud crash and the walls of the castle shaking like they had been caught in an earthquake. Her first reaction was to try and remind herself that it wasn't real this time either in an attempt to get her heart to resume its normal rhythm. This attempt was rudely interrupted by yet another earth-shaking crash.  _That's definitely not my imagination!_ Hermione struggled out of bed and staggered over to the windows that looked out over Hogwarts' grounds. The sky outside was lit up like a discotheque. Hermione tried to makes sense of the flashes, but the only thing her mind was able to settle on was:  _this is bad._

"Hermione!" At the sound of Ron's panicked voice she whirled around to see him charging into the hospital wing. "Hermione, you're alright! Thank Merlin. We need to get out of here."

"Why? What's happening?"

"You Know Who's attacking Hogwarts. The wards are holding for now, but Flitwick said that they'll probably come down around our ears in a matter of minutes."

"Minutes?! Ron, these are the most powerful wards in Britain."

"They've never had to face the most powerful Dark Lord  _ever_  before!" Ron yelled back. "And even if they hadn't been designed to keep muggles out and not wizards, how well do you think Snape would have looked after them?!" Hermione felt her jaw snap shut at Ron's last argument, or rather: the page of  _Hogwarts: A History_  that floated to the top of her thoughts telling her that Ron was right.  _Besides, i_ _f that..._ man _was willing to use the C-cruciatus the way he was then maybe he could have weakened the wards as well._

A loud screech like giant nails being scratched across an equally enormous chalkboard filled the air as sparks rained form a suddenly visible flickering dome that covered the castle.  _I thought we had a few minutes left before the wards fell?! Or did Professor Flitwick mean the minutes it must have taken Ron to get here?_ Hermione shook her head as she tried to focus her wandering thoughts.  _Doesn't matter anymore. If the wards are gone we need to get out of here. At least we can apparate out._

"Okay. Let's go." Hermione agreed with Ron. "Where's Harry?"

"Harry? No idea. Now come on."

"We are not leaving without him." Hermione said stubbornly, crossing her arms as she glared at Ron.

"Hermione there's no time. Do you think Harry would rather have you running all over a battlefield looking for him or would he be angry with you for risking your life like that?"

"I don't care. If Harry doesn't come with us then anything we do is doomed to fail anyway." Ron stopped and gave her an odd look.

"Are you sure about that?"  _No._

"Yes."

"Really? Who was the one that told us that he was so important to this war?"

"Harry wouldn't lie about something like that! He didn't even lie about killing all those people." Hermione shouted indignantly.

"Oh please. He couldn't lie about committing murders right in front of me and Loony."

"That's-... her name is Luna!" Hermione screamed, losing all control over the volume of her voice.

"See?! you're not even disagreeing with me!" Ron yelled right back. "Besides, if we're talking about things Harry lied about then how about being cursed with the Cruciatus, huh?" Hermione felt like she had been launched out of a roller coaster after a sharp left turn.

"Harry lied about me being cursed?" Her voice sounded small to her own ears; as if all the fight had been knocked out of it.

"What? No. I don't know." Ron sounded just as confused as she was and shook his head like he was a dog trying to dry its fur. "That's not what I meant. I meant that he lied about being cursed like you were. Think about it. He was up and about after a few days and he didn't have half as much trouble thinking as you do. He certainly wasn't in bed for days on end."

Hermione felt Ron's words landing like physical blows. Her trust in Harry being shaken again, her shame at being unable to hold on to coherent thoughts, no matter how much she had improved over the last several days and the fact that Ron had noticed; all of these things piled up and bore down on her like an avalanche. It left her trembling like a reed. When she looked up at Ron she saw his eyes widen in shock.

"Hermione, what's wrong?!" he gasped out as his hands shot up to grasp her shoulders. Hermione could only shake her head as she tried to gather herself.  _I don't think that I could ever explain this to Ron. Circe's love, I can't even explain it to myself in any kind of coherent fashion._  "Nimue's frost-bitten cunt!"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, shocked. She knew that her friend had a bad habit of using completely unnecessary language, but he usually restrained himself around her.

"Sod your delicate sensibilities, Herms! I just found Harry and he's bloody well off his rocker." Hermione felt a wave of dizziness as Ron forcefully spun her around. Outside she could see a lone figure standing across from the small army that had been assaulting their castle only moments before. She had no trouble identifying him from the way those messy black locks were waving in the wind.

"Harry." Hermione gasped as she tried to force her thoughts into some kind of order.  _What are you doing out there?! You promised me; you promised that you wouldn't throw your life away in some stupid noble gesture._ From this distance it was impossible to judge what was going on, but the storm of colours had slowed and stopped so Hermione was worried that she might know exactly what Harry was doing.  _No. He isn't risking his life just to_ talk _to these bastards. He has an actual reason to be out there. Or maybe I'm just confused again. It might not be Harry at all... but Ron thought it was him too._

_Wait! I can check his identity. If it_ is _Harry then he'll be wearing his portkey... at least he'd better be. I can use the command I built in to call his portkey to mine._

_But if that isn't Harry then he's going to be angry when I call him away from whatever he's doing... I don't care. I have to know._ Hermione whirled away from the window and dove for her bag which was sitting on the night-stand next to her bed. A quick root around was all it took to find her own portkey necklace.  _It wouldn't do to summon him into an expanded space without warning. He could get hurt mucking up the organisation beyond repair._

With the portkey clenched in her fist Hermione raced back to the window, needing to see what happened to the figure below. There was another figure standing across from the first one now. Judging by the flecks of white at the ends of the black robe this had to be You Know Who.  _I have to get him out of there right now._ Before Hermione could utter a word though a flash of green lanced out from the pale figure and crashed into the one with the waving black hair. As soon as he was struck both of the figures collapsed.

It was like being dropped into an ice-cold lake. Hermione felt numb and cold. She couldn't breathe.  _No. No, that can't have been Harry. Harry wouldn't just break our promise like that... I'm sure... mostly sure._  Next to her Ron was cursing up a storm. Hermione couldn't break through her shock enough to reprimand him for it; she couldn't even tear her eyes away from the unmoving body down on the lawns of the castle where they had walked together so many times.

"Damn it all, I should have told someone he was fucking suicidal!" Ron's voice finally managed to burrow its way into her consciousness.

"What?"

"Yeah, I knew he was suicidal. Bill and Fleur knew it too and Looney, if she had her brain screwed in the right way around when he was asking about ways to break into  _Gringotts_  anyways."

"You think Harry was suicidal?" Hermione's thoughts just refused to wrap themselves around the concept.

"Seriously?!" Ron almost yelled incredulously as he jabbed his finger at the scene on the other side of the window. Hermione's eyes followed Ron's finger almost against her will as if maybe this time Harry wouldn't be lying there, dead. It felt like a stab to the heart that nothing had changed.  _Nothing except for the Death Eaters swarming to desecrate his body._ That was the thought that jump-started Hermione once more.  _No! I won't let you!_

" _Phil_ _os_ _._ " she whispered out sadly. The last hope that it wasn't Harry down there vanished in a swirl of colour before a mirroring swirl deposited her best friend's body on the floor of the Hogwarts hospital wing next to Hermione. She dropped to her knees and cradled Harry's head in her lap. His skin was already cooling and that feeling was just one blow too many for Hermione. She bent her head and let her tears fall freely as huge, jagged sobs wracked her body. A strong hand grabbed her upper arm and tried to pull her up, but she didn't want to leave Harry here. In the end she just wasn't strong enough to fight her way free and she found herself hauled to her feet. There was a brief sensation of being squeezed through a garden hose before she was lowered onto a bed she vaguely recognised as the one that she had been spending most of the past two weeks in.

Hermione just curled up into a miserable little ball as she tried to ride out the waves of grief that threatened to drown her. A large, warm body curling around her meant as little to her as the knowledge of which bed she was lying on. She desperately tried to drive her thoughts away from what had just happened. Unfortunately they landed on the activation phrase she had chosen to call Harry's portkey to her own.  _Philos. A Greek word meaning love. A love between friends, between equals. A love that didn't necessarily involve family or lust. A love that Harry and I shared. A love I should have spoken aloud more while I still had the chance._

:-:-:-:-:

_... and so I hope that you can see why I did what I did. I'm not going to ask you to forgive me; not when I know that I'm going to be breaking my promise to you in the next few days. I can only ask you to try and understand that it was necessary. That if I don't do this Riddle will terrorise the world forever._

_The only comfort I can offer is that we'll see each other on the other side of the veil. You'd better not show up for at least eight decades though. If you don't believe me ask Luna. She knows what I'm talking about. Actually if I could ask you one favour: talk to Luna. Not for me, but for her. I don't think any of us quite realise how lonely she is sometimes and I would hate to leave her completely alone._

_You know, I had a dream last night. In it I saw you standing in front of a home. You were holding a little girl with curls just like yours who was trying to get you to let her get back to her book. You told her that she had to wait a little longer and that 'daddy' was going to be there soon and didn't she want to see daddy?_

_I woke up before I saw who this future husband of yours was, but one thing stayed with me: you were happy. You were smiling as brightly as I can ever remember seeing in the waking world. If that dream could come true then my death will be worth it so when Riddle casts the curse that kills me I'll be thinking of that smile and hoping that you can find that happiness one day. That I won't get to see it for myself will be my greatest regret._

Harry put the letter he was writing down on the table with a sigh.  _I'm starting to ramble._  The problem was that there was so much that he still wanted to say to his best friend that no amount of parchment would ever be enough. He cast a glance at the two envelopes lying on the table with letters in them for Ron and Luna. Luna's felt just as inadequate as Hermione's currently did. Ron's was the shortest of the lot, but it hadn't been any easier to write than the other two.

_Ron,_

_take care of Hermione and Luna or I will come and haunt you until you do._

_Harry_

There just wasn't much else he wanted to say to his one-time best mate. He had burnt through quite a few drafts, but anything else he put in had just sounded pretentious or outright fake. He had wanted to write that he had forgiven Ron for leaving the hunt, but he couldn't. He didn't blame Ron for wanting to abandon that thankless work, but the state he had left Hermione in...  _that_ Harry couldn't forgive. Between the lack of resentment and the lack of forgiveness Harry had discovered that he felt... nothing with regards to a boy who had once been his best mate.

The two boys had never really shared a lot of feelings or hopes and dreams with each other either. Nothing beyond becoming an auror or a Quidditch star at least and now that Harry knew that death was coming for him he found that those weren't on the list of things he wished he might have had time to do. None of that felt like it had a place in Ron's letter either.

Oddly enough, even though he had shared as little or less with Luna over the years her letter was a lot longer. Harry knew that his death was going to hurt the little blonde who had been there for him during his lowest moments and he had wanted to leave her a letter that might make her smile, at least for a short moment. For a moment he allowed himself to remember the scene he had encountered in the Ravenclaw common room when he and the teachers had shown up there to take the Death Eater sympathisers into custody.

It had been agreed that they would be kept in the castle's guest quarters under the Draught of the Living Death to keep them out of the battle. Neville's groups had been particularly effective at restraining those they suspected of wanting to cause trouble. There had only been a few Gryffindors and no Hufflepuffs to take into custody and Harry had had good hopes that the only house that would prove difficult was Slytherin.

When he got to the Ravenclaw common room though he had seen a considerable pile of trussed up bodies. Standing between that pile and an angry mob was Luna Lovegood. Apparently the other students had wanted to take some revenge for the past year on their now defenceless tormentors. Luna had barely been able to hold them off. Harry didn't think that he had never been prouder of his blond friend. Her explanation once everything had settled down though had filled him with disappointment, rage and empathy.

"They didn't like being bullied after years of being bullies. If it was alright to hurt the people who hurt you then there are plenty of people in this room who deserve some pain; and most of them aren't tied up."  _There are days where you have to wonder if people are even worth saving. The guilty faces on those gits certainly told me enough about how Luna's been treated in her time here._

In the end though even the difficulty of writing Luna's letter couldn't come close to the difficulty of writing a letter to Hermione confessing all the little things he had kept hidden from her during the hunt and why it had to end the way it was going to. Harry heaved another sigh and dipped the nub of his quill into the ink and wrote his final words.

_Thank you for sticking with me, for everything you've done and most of all for your friendship. I just hope that if I go willingly that my love for you will offer you some protection at least._

_Harry_

Harry looked the letter over critically and decided that it would just have to do.  _I can always try again tomorrow or write a second one. Right now it's more important that I have_ something _to explain my actions to her._  He picked up the other two letters and slipped the three of them into his pocket together.  _Best not leave them lying around, just in case._

Harry stood up and walked over to where his bag was hanging on a pin and fished out the letter he had first written to Hermione when he had gone to get them food in the muggle world.  _Was it really only two and a half months ago?_  He slipped the letter in with the others and looked around the tent. It hadn't taken much for Harry to decide that if he wanted some privacy in the confines of Hogwarts he was going to have to take drastic measures and since the Room of Requirement had emptied out and everyone was staying in their dorms again.

Unfortunately, while the room had been able to provide him with privacy, it hadn't been able to help him with his letters.  _Or perhaps it just took the magic here a while to figure out that mess in my head._ After a few drafts Harry had gotten up, cursing his inability to articulate what he was feeling, and stalked around the room. He thought he might have been thinking about how he needed to focus his thoughts. Whatever the Room had read in his thoughts and needs had led it to create a small grass field in the middle of the current setup. Harry had blinked at it for a second before realising he could set the tent up on that lawn and, lacking a better idea, decided to try it.

Between the tent and the Room, Harry finally found the sanctuary he needed to get his thoughts in order. Inside the tent his memories of the time he had spent there with Hermione seemed sharper. His reasons for why he was doing what he was doing seemed clearer. It was in the tent that his letters had finally started to take shape and it was in the tent that Harry thought he had managed to come to terms with his imminent demise.

Outside of the tent and the Room, he was always mobbed by well-wishers, people who wanted something from him, even if it was only reassurances that they would survive, and Ginny. In retrospect Harry thought he probably should have found a better, or at least earlier, way to let her know that he couldn't start a relationship with her again. In the end Ginny was one of the main reasons he had taken to hiding in the Room of Requirement.

On the first night back Harry had tried to sleep in his old bed in the Gryffindor dorm. There was no Hermione, which was still strange, even if the feeling was a lot less present than it had been the first few days at Shell Cottage. There were the additional noises of Neville's snores and Seamus' grunts added to Ron's snores. Any of this might have been enough to keep Harry awake, but after an hour of tossing and turning he noticed a sliver of moonlight streaming across his covers that hadn't been there before. He stilled himself and listened. Sure enough he could hear the noise of someone pulling the hangings of his bed along their rails. Harry slid his hand slowly up next to his pillow, where he knew his wand would be. Gripping the slender length of wood, Harry tensed. As soon as the sound had stopped he had whirled around and leapt at the person sneaking up on him in his sleep. His assailant let out a loud squeak and tumbled back which led to Harry straddling an unexpectedly small body with his wand pressed to a slender throat.

"Ginny? What are you doing here?"

"I-I wanted to surprise you a-and I th-thought you might be happy to see me?" Ginny stammered out, her eyes still wide. Harry realised that his wand was still digging into the flesh of her throat and pulled it away. He stood up and extended a hand to help Ginny to her feet. In the process he got a good look at the short lacy nightgown she was wearing. Once she was on her feet Harry knew that he would have to clear this all up.

"Come on. Let's go down to the common room so we can talk without worrying about waking up your brother." he suggested. Ginny agreed with a nod and a smile and followed him down the stairs to the common room. Downstairs, Harry took a moment to stoke the fire in the hearth up so that they would be able to see what they were doing. When he turned around he found Ginny had laid herself on the couch in what he could only consider a pose.

"Come here, Harry." she purred. "I cast Silencing Charms on the stairs so we don't have to worry about waking anybody up." As she spoke, Ginny was pulling down one of the straps of her nightgown.

"Ginny, stop. When I said we should talk, I meant talk." Harry said, trying not to groan in exasperation and trying very hard not to stare at glimpses of flesh he had never seen before. Ginny caught the way his eyes were being drawn to her body and rolled off of the couch to saunter over to him with a sultry smirk.

"Are sure that's what you meant, Harry?" she asked as she trailed her fingers down his chest. Harry had to swallow through his dry throat before he could formulate an answer.

"Yeah, I am." he croaked, desperately trying to keep his eyes anywhere but the cleavage that was so alluringly on display. "It- it wouldn't be right to take advantage of you like this."

"What do you mean 'take advantage of', Harry? I'd think you'd have realised that I want this too by now." Ginny's voice sounded like she was close to bursting out in nervous laughter.

"I mean that I can't offer you the relationship I know you want and it wouldn't be fair to, well... ."

"What?! Why couldn't we have a relationship?" In a flash Ginny's voice had become hard and her eyes were like chips of ice.

"I just-... I just can't, alright? There are a couple of reasons, but I think the most important one is that I just don't feel like I could be in a relationship right now."

"You don't  _feel_  like you could be in a relationship right now?!" Ginny's strident, mocking tone made Harry feel grateful for the Silencing Charms she had put up. "Harry, I  _waited_ for you. I thought we were going to get back together as soon as you defeated You Know Who. I spent the whole sodding year here enduring the Carrows and Snape."

"Did they torture you? Do you need to see a healer?" Despite the situation he was in Harry couldn't help but feel concern when Ginny mentioned the Death Eaters. He had first hand experience with the Cruciatus and, even worse in his opinion, had seen what it had done to Hermione.

"What? No. They didn't torture purebloods, Harry." Ginny sniffed dismissively. "And don't try to distract me or weasel your way out of this. Explain to me exactly why I'm not good enough for you." Harry's fingers came up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he tried to fight back the headache that wanted to explode there.  _Take it easy... just breathe. You do owe it to her to try and make her understand._

"Who am I to you, Ginny? Am I Harry Potter or am I the Boy Who Lived?" Harry asked as calmly as he could. He saw her face crumple in confusion for a moment as she worked her way through his question. He didn't expect her answer to come in the form of a slap to his cheek.

"Damn it, Harry, I said 'don't try to distract me'! Now give me a straight answer."

"The fact that you can't see how your answer to that question explains why I don't want to be with you, then our ideas of who the other is are even further apart than I had thought." Harry snapped back coldly. He hadn't been slapped in a long while; not since the summer before his third year. That had been the last time Petunia had dared to raise her hand against him. To have Ginny act like that was quickly driving his temper up.

"That horseshit doesn't even deserve an answer, you git! No matter how you play with the semantics of it you  _are_ the Boy Who Lived! Or are you going to tell me that I was dating the Boy Who Lived and that Harry Potter was dating someone else, huh?!"

"What?! No! I meant that I'm not the fantasy character that the whole bloody wizarding world seems to think I am!"

"I know that!"

"Are you sure?" Harry's voice had gone cold and quiet, something that seemed especially noticeable after the way the two exes had been yelling at each other. "When we broke up you told me that you knew I would never have been happy if I wasn't fighting Riddle. Now you tell me that you know I'm not some fantasy hero. One of those has to be a lie."

"Oh, and would you have been happy to let someone else go after your parents' killer?"

"That was never a choice! It was me or nobody. If I had had the option then, yeah, I think I would have been okay with someone else going to fight the maniac with decades more experience in killing people than I have."

"Killing people? When did we start talking about killing people? If you can get his wand away from him you'll have won! Why would you make it any more difficult than that?"

"Do you have any idea how difficult taking Riddle's wand on a battlefield would be?!" Harry exclaimed in disbelief.

"Not as difficult as killing him!"  _Actually, that's true. As long as I'm still alive we can't kill him at all_ _._ Ginny must have taken Harry's hesitation as assent and gave a firm nod. "Now that that's out of the way can you stop being ridiculous?"

"I'm not being ridiculous." Harry sputtered. "However Riddle is stopped doesn't really have an influence on whether I want to get back into a relationship with you." That turned out to be the wrong thing to say.

"Oh right," Ginny hissed silkily as her eyes narrowed, "we were talking about why you think you're too good for me." Harry just groaned.

"You know we weren't."

"Hmph. If we agree that you aren't too good for me, then we must have been talking about how you've been seeing someone behind my back."  _What? How are those the only two options?_

"Ginny, I haven't been seeing anyone; period. When would I even have had the time while I was on a mission to destroy a Dark Lord?"

"So it's Hermione." Ginny snarled out, her long red hair dancing around her face like angry flames.

"You're mad! How on earth do you get me dating Hermione out of me not wanting to date you?!"

"Who else has been around you this whole time, hmm?"

"She's dating Ron!"

"So you're just going to keep denying it?"

"Of course I am! There's nothing to admit to!" Harry yelled out, thoroughly exasperated with the direction this conversation had taken.

"Then I hope you're okay going into battle as the Virgin Who Lived." Ginny sneered. "Stay away from me until you can man up and actually tell me why you're rejecting me." With that she stormed up the stairs to the girls' dorms in a huff. Harry let himself drop back on the couch with groan.  _That was awful. Worse than dealing with Cho._ For a moment Harry wondered if it wouldn't have been easier to just have sex with Ginny rather than a fight.

_It might have been easier. It might not even have been wrong if I had any kind of chance of surviving the coming fight. I could have warned her that I didn't want to have a relationship and then left the choice of whether to continue up to her rather than shooting it down outright. Like this though? If there were to be... consequences I wouldn't even be able to take responsibility and that's just wrong._  Despite his reason telling him he had done the right thing, Harry had spent the rest of the night unable to get back to sleep as he kept second guessing everything he had said during the fight.

When the next day had made it clear that Ginny was intent on cornering Harry to get a "straight answer" from him, he had decided that he needed to find somewhere he could get some time to himself. After all, if she caught him writing letters to Luna and Hermione, Harry was worried that Ginny's wrath would turn itself on the two girls.

So Harry went through his days, trying to distract himself from what he knew was coming by throwing himself into the preparations for the Death Eaters' attack. He made sure his days were so filled that he wouldn't have time to worry and wallow. Everything was prepared, checked and double checked. So it was that when the attack on the wards began with that thunderous crash Harry felt mostly a tired resignation.  _Here we go I suppose._

"Dobby." he called out.

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir? What is you needing?" the little elf asked eagerly as soon as he had popped into existence. Harry drew the letters he had written out of his robes.

"The attack has begun. Wh- if I die I want you to give these to the people they are addressed to." Harry told his friend. Dobby had already taken the letters Harry had been holding out, but when he heard the instructions his eyes went wide and Harry was afraid that he could see tears welling in them.

"H-harry Potter could die?" Dobby asked.

"It's going to be a battle, Dobby. Anyone could die."

"Not Harry Potter, sir." the little elf declared drawing himself up as tall as he could. "Dobby will protect Harry Potter's life with his own."

"NO! No, Dobby you are not allowed to do that!"  _I am not going to let him throw his life away when I already know that I have to die._

"Dobby must. Harry Potter is too good, too noble. Harry Potter must survive."  _Damn it, Potter, think! How can I stop Dobby from getting killed? This would have been so much easier if I'd just asked him to work for me in second year instead of-..._

"You can't, Dobby. You promised."

"Sir?" Dobby asked sounding uncertain.

"In my second year you promised that you would never try to save my life again. I'm holding you to that promise." Harry saw the way Dobby paled in horror. He had expected that to some degree. He had not expected Dobby to prostrate himself at Harry's feet.

"Please, Harry Potter, sir, release Dobby from his vow. Let Dobby protect the Great Harry Potter."

"No, my friend." Harry said trying to make his voice as kind as possible. "If something happens to me, I need you to deliver those letters... and if you can, take care of Hermione and Luna."

"D-dobby promises, sir." Big, fat tears were dripping down Dobby's cheeks and splashing on the flagstones below, but Harry felt reasonably sure that he would keep his promise.

"Thank you, Dobby. That means more to me than you can know." Harry reached out to squeeze Dobby's thin, bony shoulder. "Goodbye, my friend." He forced himself to turn around and leave the crying elf behind him. As he walked Harry cast a Disillusionment Charm over himself to avoid any more uncomfortable encounters. It was a close call regardless.

When he got to the Entrance Hall, Harry found Luna walking around waving her arms in front of her. She had a worried look on her face and Harry found himself having to carefully dodge those nimble fingers so that he could slip outside through one of the smaller exits to either side of the massive main doors when she wasn't looking.

Outside Harry took a deep breath and watched as the Death Eaters brought the wards down.  _The more time the Headmistress has to evacuate the students the better for all of us._ When the wards finally gave out, Harry knew the time had come and cancelled the charm. It didn't take long for the Death Eaters to spot him. They parted like a wave and from their midst Voldemort came striding forward. Harry stepped forward to meet him. As they got closer to each other Harry realised that he had never seen the Dark Lord look so angry before.

"Harry Potter." he hissed out, rage suffusing every sibilant syllable. "Why do I get the feeling that you are at least partly responsible for the destruction of my most treasured possessions?"

"Well, looks like you're still a pretty smart boy, Tom." Harry taunted.  _If I'm going to die, I'm at least going to leave an impression._  The flicker of incandescent rage that crossed Riddle's face felt like a victory, however small, to Harry.

"And you are still a fool. What did you think to accomplish by coming out here all alone to face me? Shouldn't you have brought someone along to die for you?"

"Not this time, Tom. This time I'm here to stand between you and those I love."

"Just like your mudblood mother... and like her you shall perish.  _Avada Kedavra_!" Harry saw the flash of green heading straight for him and only spread his arms as if he was going to embrace the curse that was rushing to take his life. In the last seconds before darkness took him Harry filled his thoughts with reasons he was doing this.  _Mum, Dad, Sirius... Luna, Hermione._ The Killing Curse slammed into Harry's chest with enough force to lift him off of his feet, but Harry didn't even notice it. All he could see was the smiling faces of the people he loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always thought that "Dumbledore shouldn't have given Snape the essential information since he could die and then Harry would never know" makes no sense. The memory-tears were a bit of disappointing ass-pull in my opinion, but the real disqualifier for telling Snape this massive secret is that he's still a Death Eater and therefore frequently in Voldemort's presence where he might give the game away intentionally or not. Especially since your sodding magical portrait can handle this communication just fine.
> 
> As for the discussion that McGonagall has with the portrait: if you want to get a little extra angry for no good reason, then remember the damage the Cruciatus did to Hermione and then realise what it would mean to do that to children whose brains are still developing. Please try not to smash your computer.
> 
> I personally think that Luna's stand against her housemates is at least as heroic as Harry's self-sacrifice and it really just makes me like the character more.
> 
> Did anyone else notice that in canon Dobby died after breaking his promise to Harry? I've been trying to find a way to work that into a fic for a while now. There is some interesting magical vow/magical creature implications there which is really impressive writing from Rowling if she did it on purpose.


	9. Chapter 9

_A soft breeze drifted past Harry's cheek, danced across his chest and down his torso and legs until it slipped away from his toes. It was very calming and Harry let it lift and carry him like a leaf. He didn't know how long he was blown about before he noticed that the pull of the air currents on the little hairs all along his body was growing less and less. Unfortunately this also made him realise that he was naked_. Harry's panicked flailing at this discovery ended the calm floating once and for all as he shot upright in the biggest bed he had ever seen. It was even bigger than the luxurious double bed he had seen in Buckbeak's room at Grimmauld Place.  _If that was a double bed then this is a triple bed._.

Looking around he saw that he was in the tent that they had taken on the hunt for the horcruxes... only it looked nothing like that pile of failing enchantments held together by worn canvas. This tent was clean, soft, white and...  _glowing? Oh that can't be good. It's not enough that I'm dead, falling from the sky and naked? Now the only bit of cloth here has to be glowing? And it's not even glowing clothes._

As the thoughts formed in his mind, Harry saw a set of robes appearing on the table in the middle of the tent and they were thankfully as dull and non-luminescent as he could ask for. He quickly pulled them on over his head and took a moment to marvel over how soft and warm the clothes felt.  _This is still strange. I'd better have a look around._

Carefully and still unsure of what was going, on Harry began to explore the tent. He noticed that it was almost the same as he remembered except that everything had become somehow...  _more_  than it had been. Aside from the changes to the sleeping area, the kitchen looked like something Petunia would have spent weeks swooning over, the chairs were comfortable and the table didn't have a single scar, ding or nick.

Other than everything having become a better version of what it had been in life there was nothing in the tent that could tell Harry where he was or what was happening.  _Guess I'll just have to check outside then._  Harry had barely stepped outside of the tent when he froze in shock. Outside there was snow drifting softly from the sky and settling into a thick white blanket on the ground, but strangely enough it wasn't cold. There was one path where nothing seemed to be sticking and Harry could see the brown of the earth.

Taking the obvious hint Harry started down the path keeping an eye on his surroundings for anyone who might be waiting to ambush him. Nothing stirred in the forest though. The only movement around him came from the falling snowflakes. Despite the serene surroundings Harry felt something niggling at him like a half-remembered dream; like he should know what was coming next, but couldn't for the life him remember so much as hint to what that might be.

Since the only thing he was sure of right now was that going back wasn't going to get him any answers, Harry kept walking. Eventually the path came to a clearing with a frozen pond in the middle. Looking at it, Harry finally realised what his subconscious had been trying to tell him since he'd left the tent.  _I'm in the Forest of Dean._  He slowly walked over to the frozen pond, half expecting to see the Sword of Gryffindor resting at the bottom. When he got to the edge of the pond he could see that that wasn't the case though. With a sigh he let his shoulders slump. He couldn't see any other paths except the one he had followed to come here.  _So what do I do now? Am I just going to have to stay here for all eternity?_

A rustling noise caused Harry's head to shoot up in search of the source. As he watched, three glowing, silvery animals emerged from the undergrowth and crossed the pond to stand in front of him. In the centre was a doe that reminded him almost painfully of the one that had led him to this pond in the living world two weeks ago. The doe was flanked by a stag that Harry recognised as his own patronus and a grim that looked equally familiar, even if the last time Harry had seen Padfoot he'd been black and solid.

"Mum... Dad... Sirius." Harry breathed out, completely sure of who these figures were supposed to represent. As he spoke the animals shifted and became the people he had named. Three smiling faces stood across from Harry and a moment later he found himself in his mother's surprisingly solid embrace.

"Oh, Harry." he heard her whisper in his ear. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."

"I didn't really have much of a choice, Mum." he admitted in a tone to match hers.

"Not for dying, Harry, admirable though it was. No, I'm proud of how you lived. I'm proud that you found some good friends. I'm proud that you were willing to protect them and considerate enough to write them those letters. I'm proud that you were kind to those less fortunate than yourself. I'm proud of you for all of that and so much more that I couldn't possibly list it all in the time we have."

"I agree. Now step aside, Lily. There are more of us who want to hug their son and like you just pointed out: we don't have a lot of time." Harry felt his mother release him and a moment later he was caught in strong hug from his father. James didn't hold on to Harry as long as Lily had but stepped back after a moment to clap Harry on the shoulder while pride in his son radiated from his expression. "I can't believe you really did it, son. You figured out what even Albus couldn't."

"I had a lot of help, Dad; including Dumbledore. I'd never have figured out what horcruxes were all by myself." Harry demurred.

"No one could have expected that of you. There's a reason we're proud of you for making the friends you did." James grinned. "But Albus had you, your friends  _and_  the Order and he didn't get anywhere near as far as you did." Unsure of how to respond Harry just shrugged. That seemed to be a signal for Sirius to jump on Harry's back and do his best to give Harry a noogie.

"Harryyyyyyy!"

"Damn it, Sirius, get off!" Harry snapped, falling back into the way he had treated the overgrown man-child when they were still alive.

"Aww, is ickle Harrikins all flustered from seeing his Mummy and Daddy? You're blushing, you know?"

"Remind me why I missed you again?"

"Because of my spectacular personality, rakish good looks and endless supply of wisdom on the most important matters in life." Sirius rattled off with a straight face. Harry groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"Give it a rest, Padfoot. We don't have time for this." James interrupted.

"Yeah, that keeps coming up." Harry agreed, latching onto a sane topic of conversation. "Why is our time limited? We're dead... aren't we?"

"Not-... not all of us, dear." Lily admitted. "You're only mostly dead."  _Great. I can't even die like a normal person._ His mother must have been able to read his thoughts on his face. "You do realise that this is a good thing, right?" she asked with a bit of a laugh in her voice.

"You mean that I could go back?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Yes, sweetheart. Don't you want to?" Harry shrugged uncomfortably.

"I don't know, Mum. I-... this is kind of an easy out to be honest. Getting to stay here with you, not having to face all the idiots back there... it sounds pretty good to me." The three adults exchanged laden glances that Harry couldn't quite read.

"What about your friends? Those girls you wrote the letters to?" James asked. Thinking about Hermione and Luna caused Harry to squirm guiltily.

"I was at least able to write them letters this time. If I go back I won't know when I'm going to die and I might not be able to say goodbye."

"Harry, kiddo, I love you like you were my own son... but that has to be the biggest heap of steaming garbage I've ever heard." Sirius dead-panned. "You and I both know that they would be infinitely happier to be able to spend a lifetime with you than having a letter. Weren't you thinking about how you couldn't fit everything you still wanted to tell them into those?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"But what, hmm?"

"It  _hurts_!" Harry finally shouted. "Everything there hurts. Nothing ever seems to matter. Even if we destroy Riddle there will just be another one sooner or later."

"Harry, look at me." Lily said firmly taking Harry's face in her hands and forcing him to meet her eyes. "Do you think that your friends would be sad to lose you?"

"I-... I guess so. I hope so."

"And that  _does_  matter, sweetheart. Trust me, once you're dead you aren't surrounded by your great accomplishments. You're surrounded by the people you loved and who loved you in return."

"So you think I should go back?" Harry asked, hating himself for the whine he could hear in his own voice. His parents just smiled bracingly at him though.

"It's your choice, son. We just want you to know everything before you make it." Despite the reassuring tone, Harry's instincts started screaming at him that this was bad news.

"Okay, what don't I know and how badly is it going to come and bite me in the arse?" he sighed out.

"Did you take a look into the pond?" Sirius asked with a rueful grin.

"Yeah. The sword isn't in there this time though."

"Did you notice what  _is_  down there?" Sirius pressed. Harry shook his head and moved out onto the ice to check the bottom of the pool more carefully. Lying there on the rocky bottom was a twisted, scaly parody of a human child.  _It's a homunculus!_ Harry recoiled from the sight.

"What's  _he_  doing here?" he demanded, aghast that Voldemort had somehow followed him into the afterlife.

"Harry, you were struck with a Killing Curse. It's a piece of magic that uses your own soul to force out someone else's. When Voldemort hit you with it he dislodged both your soul and the piece of his own that you had been carrying with you. The curse was only designed to affect one soul at a time though."

"I'm guessing that's why I'm only 'mostly dead'?"

"It is." James confirmed. "It's also the reason why we don't have a lot of time. If only one of the two souls will be permanently evicted from your body then the other..."

"Will be able to go back!" Harry gasped as the full implications of what was happening struck him. "If I don't go back then that- that  _thing_  down there gets my body?"

"I'm afraid so." Sirius agreed, grimly. "The only reason we have as much time as we do is that the damn thing is so crippled it probably won't realise what's going on for a few more minutes. Unfortunately it's disability also means that it's running on pure instinct and the instinct of most living things is to, well,  _live_."

"It is still your choice, but is letting that thing take over your body really the choice you want to make?" James asked, sounding like he would be perfectly alright with whatever answer Harry might come up with. Harry himself meanwhile felt tears running down his cheeks.

"No." he managed between his sobs. "I couldn't do that to everyone. I'm just going to miss you all so much." No sooner had he admitted this than he found himself caught up in three simultaneous hugs.

"I am so, so proud of you, my little boy." he heard his mother's voice. "I love you more than I could ever tell you. Do me a favour and make sure that you live a life that makes you happy, alright?"

"I-... I'll try, Mum." Harry replied as he did his best to hug all three of the adults back at the same time. "It may take me some time to figure out how to do that though."

"Start by thinking about what you've seen here, son." James advised. "This place is a reflection of your soul and the location says something about what was important to you in life. It could be a representation of a time when you fundamentally changed or a place where you felt particularly at home or even something that you associate very strongly with the most important parts of who you are." Harry just nodded in response.

"Good. Then go. We can't know when that soul piece will wake up and you need to be back in your own body before it does." Harry nodded again, but tightened his arms around his loved ones.

"I love you." he choked out. "I don't want to let you go."

"We love you too, son. That love doesn't go away. As long as you can feel that, you'll have us with you wherever you go." Trying to believe what he was being told, Harry forced himself to step back. With one last longing look at his parents and godfather he finally turned around and bolted back up the path. He didn't know exactly how he was supposed to get back to his body, but he figured the best way would be to head back to where he had entered this world. He barely spared a passing thought for his unexpected ability to keep sprinting this entire way without even needing to breathe heavier than usual.

At full speed Harry burst into the tent.  _Okay, what was I doing when I got here? I remember waking up and- that's it! I woke up! I need to get back into bed and fall asleep. How am I going to fall asleep when I'm this keyed up though?_

_I'm not sure, but I'd better get started on trying._  Harry rushed through to the sleeping area of the tent and the oversized bed that he had woken up in. With quick, panicked movements Harry threw himself under the covers and squeezed his eyes shut.  _Okay. Now what? No, calm down. Don't think of anything. Just relax and fall asleep._

_Damn it, I can't relax like this. I need to get back to my body!_  The world around Harry froze as that thought crystallised in his mind. Slowly darkness began creeping in on the edges of his vision. His last conscious thought was:  _I hope that I'm going back and that this isn't a sign that I'm too late._

:-:-:-:-:

Harry woke up in an empty hospital wing with a gasp. He looked around him for any sign of his parents and Sirius but found only the familiar and ever-present longing in his heart. Since he didn't feel any pain, Harry scrambled to his feet from where he had been lying on the floor and found that he could easily stand. Even the exhaustion that had dragged at him like sodden clothes seemed to be a thing of the past. Harry's incredulous inventory of his body was brutally interrupted by a loud crash and the castle shaking like it was in the middle of an earthquake.

_Damn and blast, how could you forget that you were in a battle?_   _Are you an idiot? Did you think that Riddle would just go away? Of course eliminating the last horcrux isn't enough. There's still a soul piece inside of that damn homunculus._

_So how do I get it out?_  If he had had the energy to spare Harry might have wondered at the lack of fear he felt, but all of his focus was on fulfilling that accursed prophecy once and for all.  _He just hit me in the chest with another Killing Curse and judging by the fact that Madam Pomfrey isn't already breathing down my neck I think I can safely assume that no one expects me to be up and about. That should at least give me a moment where I can use a surprise attack. If I'm being given one free shot I should at least use it._

As he considered his options Harry began to notice that his hand was rubbing at his chest. There was an itch there that was slowly starting to drive him mad. Pulling out the collar of his shirt Harry was dismayed to see an angry, red lightning bolt carved into his breastbone. _.. well damn. One more thing to make me an outsider._

_No. I can't think like that; not now. I need to focus on getting rid of Riddle first._ _He should be mortal at last so a Reductor Curse should do it. If I had known I would survive I might not have given Hermione the cloak. I'll just have to use a Disillusionment Charm_ _._ A quick search of his robes revealed that whoever had brought him here had remembered to bring his wand as well. Before he could spend too much time marvelling at his good fortune the acacia wand was already moving to give Harry a rap on his head. As the feeling of egg-yolks running down his head told him that he had successfully cast the charm Harry added a Silencing Charm and a Notice-Me-Not Charm just to make sure that he wouldn't be detected before he could get his shot off.  _Better to be safe than sorry considering who my opponent is._ _Now I just need to find Riddle. Luckily I just_ happen _to have this map... gotcha! The courtyard!_

The moment he knew where he was headed Harry raced out of the infirmary stuffing the map back into the mokeskin pouch as he ran. As his thoughts turned to the coming battle Harry trusted his knowledge of the castle, gathered over six years of rule-breaking and dangerous situations, to carry his feet where they needed to bring him.

When he finally reached the courtyard, Harry saw that the Death Eaters had formed a tight knot in the centre and were firing lethal curses up at the windows. There was an answering hail of spellfire raining down on their heads from Hogwarts' defenders. At the front of the group several witches and wizards were ignoring the battle going on around them to concentrate their spells on the doors to the keep. The old enchantments on the doors seemed to be holding up well against the onslaught though. Harry palmed his wand and began making his way around the group, looking for his prey.

He found Voldemort standing somewhat behind centre in the group.  _Damn. That's going to make it difficult to hit him with a curse. The bodies around him alone are likely to get in the way if whatever I cast isn't timed exactly right._ Harry felt a spike of vindication when he saw the tightness around Riddle's eyes.  _Looks like destroying his last horcrux hurt him... good._  Harry crept around the group until he was behind them and out of Riddle's line of sight. He brought his wand up and carefully took aim at the centre of his enemy's back.

"Reducto." Harry's whisper was lost in the battle-clamour, but the red bolt that leapt from his acacia wand drew the attention of the nearest Death Eaters. One of them noticed where it was headed and threw himself in its path with a loud cry of warning. Harry tried firing off several more curses as Voldemort whipped around, his face twisted in an unholy rage. Several more Death Eaters threw themselves in front of the Reductors aimed at their master. Harry kept firing, desperate to get at least one lucky shot in before Riddle managed to figure out where this new attack was coming from.

"Enough!" the Dark Lord bellowed as more of his loyal servants died. He whipped his pale wand across his body in a wide arc unleashing a swath of pale magic. Harry froze in shock as he saw his curses disintegrate on contact with the oncoming wall of power. Before he could process what was happing the magic Riddle had cast washed over him. Harry braced himself for pain but, surprisingly, it never came.

Harry looked down at his limbs in surprise as if to make sure that he wasn't imagining the lack of excruciating agony.  _Wait! Why can I see myself?!_  Looking up Harry saw his shock mirrored on Riddle's pale, snake-like features.

"Potter?" As if the disbelieving whisper had been a prearranged signal the curses slowed and stopped, much like they had the first time Harry had stepped out of the castle to confront his nemesis.

"Tom." Harry acknowledged grimly.  _Well, so much for the element of surprise. At least I got rid of some of the smaller problems... too bad the biggest one is still standing._

"Impossible. How are you still alive?! How many times do I have to kill you, boy?!" Riddle snapped and Harry was glad to hear a trace of fear in the Dark Lord's voice.

"Poor Tom Riddle. All that work running away from his own mortality and he still hasn't figured out how not to die." Harry taunted rather than answer the question.  _This has to be the stupidest thing I've ever done. I'm poking a dragon in the eye and standing in front of it to see what happens. Keeping him unsettled is probably my best chance at surviving this though. I don't think I'm going to get a third chance to come back from a Killing Curse._ "Can you feel it, Tom? Can you feel death coming for you?" Roaring like a wounded bull Riddle broke the stalemate and began flinging curses as fast as he could flick his wand. It didn't escape Harry's notice that not a single one was that tell-tale green colour.

"I won't settle for killing you this time, Potter! I am going to destroy every last speck of your body! I will grind you into paste and feed you to the thestrals! I will decorate the Great Hall with your innards so that your miserable friends can look at what's left of you as they breathe their last!" Harry was reduced to dodging what he could and Summoning rubble from around the courtyard to block the rest. He was being steadily driven back under the barrage the Dark Lord was unleashing at him. His entire world was reduced to Riddle's too wide eyes, incoming spellfire and dodging, running and darting his magic out as fast as he could.

As he fought, Harry felt a familiar pulse beginning to grow. It beat at his temples like an angry ocean. He would have sworn he could hear it rushing behind his ears. He was casting faster than he could remember ever doing before simply by casting in time with the pulse's peaks. His wand was as much of a blur as Riddle's even if his spells were a lot simpler than his opponent's. In the end Harry couldn't prevent being driven into a corner. As his back hit the courtyard wall he saw Riddle's lipless mouth twist into a triumphant smirk.

" _Incandis_!" Fire erupted from Riddle's wand and raced towards Harry.  _Shit!_  Harry threw up the strongest shield he could and started transfiguring anything he could into shields to stay the blaze. As the fire raced towards him it twisted into the form of a basilisk, its maw open and ready to consume anything that stood in its path.  _Fiendfyre_ Harry confirmed his first suspicion in resignation. "Ahahaha! You fought valiantly, Harry Potter, but this is your end! You have power, boy, I will not deny it. You might even have been able to fend off uncontrolled Fiendfyre... but you are not and could never be a match for  _my_  will and  _my_  power!"

_ShitFuckBugger! He's right. I'm so busy keeping the flames away from me that I don't even have a chance to try and take out its source. Not if I only use my wand._ The sudden thought caused Harry's concentration to waver for a brief instant, but that was enough for the fire to gain several feet.  _Right. No time to think this through. Just try it. I'm dead even if I don't and I will at least go down fighting._  Through the flickering flames Harry could see the Death Eaters were standing nearly twenty yards away. Clearly they were interested in seeing the outcome of this duel, but leery of getting too close to their unhinged master. Harry's mind barely registered that they were there as his attention locked onto Voldemort watching with manic glee etched into every line of his face.  _Your need to watch people suffer will be your undoing, Tom._

Calling on every bit of the rudimentary training he had been doing over the past two weeks, Harry brought the pulse of his magic up to the thunderous level required to cast a wandless spell. All the while he never let up on the power he was pushing into his magical shield, he never stopped transfiguring whatever he could into materials that would be more difficult to ignite. When the flames seemed to draw back fractionally, almost as if they were taking a breath to continue the assault with renewed vigour, Harry struck. The pulse lashed out from his hand, quick as a whip. Harry directed it to a fist-sized rock, several feet behind Riddle and  _pulled_  with all his might the moment he felt the magic make contact.

The rock moved as though it had been launched from a canon and crashed into the back of Riddle's head. Harry saw the Dark Lord stumble forward from the impact that would have killed a normal man. The Fiendfyre around him ebbed away as it simply consumed whatever was closest rather than being driven on by Riddle's will to attack Harry. Harry didn't wait for a better chance and lashed out with a trio of Reductor Curses. By the time Riddle's head came up from the lowered position Harry's rock had knocked it into the red bolts were almost on top of him.

Riddle's wand came up faster than Harry would have believed possible and batted away one of the curses that would have struck him in the head. Not even the Dark Lord's preternatural reflexes could stop the other two from striking his chest and splattering the surrounding flagstones with gore as he fell back from the force of the impact.

Meanwhile, Harry had managed to force the Fiendfyre further back. Given another ten minutes or so he might even be able to extinguish it completely. He knew that he was unlikely to get the time he needed as he saw Riddle starting to sit back up.  _Ancients have mercy, what does it take to kill this bastard?!_  The Death Eaters were swarming forward to help their master.  _There are too many. I can't fight them_ and _the Fiendfyre._

_So don't. Use one to fight the other. One more blight on my soul; one more to end it all._ Harry brought the pulse of his magic to a thunderous roar once more, ignoring the way it was making his chest ache.  _Just a little more. I just need a little bit more._ Seeing that Riddle was already on his knees and unsteadily raising his wand, Harry realised that he was out of time. He barely noticed his wand clattering down at his feet as he stretched his arms wide and pushed his magic out from every pore of his body. This time he didn't lash out with his magic. He was gentle as he twinned it with the energies of the inferno raging around him; until he  _was_  the fire.

Harry burned. He felt power like he never had before coursing through his every spark. Never had he had such direction for his flames. Never had one of the little magic kindling so closely melded with him. It was a euphoric experience, all the more so because the magic kindling hungered. It sought to add the other kindling to his flames.  _There._ So flammable... so weak... so many; and the magic core that had melded with his flames hungered to see them burn. Harry moved faster than he ever had. Each flame danced forward like a spear made from the sun itself and together they became a firestorm the likes of which the little kindling had never seen.

They burnt. Their wrappings easily guided the rest of him to their flesh to crack and blacken. They tried to draw air in to scream, but the air was his and he would not share it with that which he consumed. There at the centre of the pyre... an unusual kindling, but what fuel it was! As the strange kindling burned the magic guiding Harry's flames roared in triumph. It forced more and more of him into that particular kindling. More and more of him danced along the sodden passageways of the kindling's form, boiling away the moisture he found there and consuming the meat. All that he touched became char. It was so exhilarating that he barely even noticed that the magic had forced him almost entirely into this one kindling... and the fuel was almost gone.

Harry would not be so contained! He raged against the little magic kindling that had melded with him and threw himself against the will that held him trapped and dying.  _There._ Standing apart from all the others, black on top waving in the wind, limbs already scorched from when Harry had been attacking it. With the last of his strength Harry bucked against that control, but it would not be moved. Implacable as a mountain it forced Harry deeper and deeper into what was left of the last of the kindling it had hungered for until an indescribable pain tore through his chest.

The realisation that he  _had_  a chest, that he  _didn't_  have flames brought Harry's consciousness crashing back into his own body. His chest felt like it was being torn apart by angry dragons. Harry's limbs refused to hold him up any longer and he crashed hard to the flagstones. The last thing he saw before darkness washed over him to clear away the pain was a flickering flame dancing on a charcoal stain that had once been the most feared Dark Lord in modern history.

:-:-:-:-:

"Ron?! Hermione?! Are you here?!" Hermione fought the return to consciousness that the voice demanded. Consciousness was not where she wanted to be. Consciousness was where she hurt and worse: where she  _knew_ that she hurt. Her eyes felt like they were coated with sandpaper and her throat was sore and tight. There was an agonising void in her chest that told her that no one had picked up the pieces of her broken heart while she had been out of it. "Ron?! Hermione?!"

"We're in here!" a groggy voice called out from behind her. The voice was far closer than she would have expected any voice to be. Slowly Hermione realised that there was a body wrapped around her own. It felt strange. Something about it seemed familiar and yet at the same time completely foreign; like coming back to the house you had grown up in after a long time away and realising that it wasn't your home any more. That the furniture had changed, the pictures on the wall were different... it wasn't yours any more.

Hermione wriggled around so that she could get a better look at the owner of the groggy voice and the body that didn't feel completely right wrapped around her. A small part of her was grateful that there was anything at all that she could use to distract herself from that aching pit of grief that had been dug into her soul. Completing her turn Hermione discovered that the body behind her had red hair, freckles and was looking at her with worried blue eyes.

"Ron? What are you doing in my bed?" Hermione's voice sounded dead to her own ears. She didn't really care what his answer would be, only that it would delay having to face what had happened yesterday. Ron's furious blush told her that he was probably a little more invested in his answer than she was at this point.

"Um, w-well... y-you were crying and I was kind of thinking that maybe it might help if I were to climb in and sort of hold you? I mean you're always hugging us and I thought that, um..." Ron's stammering explanation was cut off by the door opening and another redhead striding in.

"Thank Merlin, you're both alright!" Bill exclaimed, his whole posture sagging with relief. "Mum's been in a right state not knowing where the two of you were." He paused for a moment taking in the scene in front of him before breaking into a grin. "Mind you, when I tell her what I found she might work herself into a right state again and then you wouldn't be so alright."  _Who says we're alright now? Who says that anything is right in the world? That anything can ever be right again?_

"M-mum doesn't have anything to say about it. We're both of age." Ron blustered next to Hermione slipping his arm over her shoulders protectively. Hermione shrugged it off, uncaring about the hurt look Ron shot her. Right now that arm felt more like a chain keeping her trapped than a source of security.

"Well, you tell her that, baby brother. I'm sure she'll listen." Bill continued, blithely oblivious to the byplay between the two teenagers on the bed. "Now that I've found you though, you're going to have to come with me. It's not just Mum looking for you two. Madam Pomfrey's finally been able to take a breath after getting the casualties from the battle sorted. She's noticed that you've skipped out on her, Hermione, and you know how she can get about people leaving her care early, right?" Hermione just shrugged.

"Doesn't matter." she mumbled trying to get across that  _nothing_  mattered any more. Bill seemed to pick up on her meaning as she saw him frown and crouch down next to the bed.

"Come on, Hermione. We're all worried about you." Hermione just shrugged again. "If you're not willing to go for yourself, then will you at least go so that Harry can have his best friends there when he wakes up? Luna's not moved from his-" Bill got cut off by a ringing slap to the cheek. The force of it sent him tumbling back on his arse and by the time he had caught himself the meek, grieving woman on the bed was nowhere to be seen. Standing in her place was a witch incandescent with power and rage to match the Fiendfyre that blazed in the courtyard during the final battle.

"Don't you dare!" Hermione spat out. "Don't you dare try to use Harry in your lies! He deserves better than that!"

"What are you talking about?!" Bill cried out in bewilderment. "What lies?" Hermione's hands shot forward, ready grab Bill's throat and throttle him until he apologised to Harry's memory. A larger pair of hands caught her elbows and hauled her back towards the bed.

"Save it, Bill." Ron growled out behind her, sounding upset with his brother.  _No! Not angry enough! Let me go! He- he's_ using  _Harry! How dare he?! How_ dare _he?!_ "We saw Harry get hit with the Killing Curse. We were the ones who brought his body back to the hospital wing. We know he's not going to wake up."

"What?! Harry's not dead. He's not exactly conscious right now, but after yesterday..." Bill trailed off with a shudder. "Are you telling me he did all that after taking a Killing Curse?" Hermione was already shaking her head violently from side to side as if she could dislodge her painful emotions that way.

"Stop it!" she screamed out as new tears dripped down her cheeks. "He- his skin was cold. He was-... Harry was-..." She couldn't continue. It was too much to bear even without someone playing with her hopes like this.

"I'll take an Unbreakable Vow." Bill said.

"W-what?" Bill's rock-solid self-assurance threw Hermione for a loop.  _Why would he throw his life away over something like this? He-... can he be..._ serious _?_

"I'll take an Unbreakable Vow that Harry was still alive when I left Hogwarts half an hour ago. He's in a hospital bed that that Neville bloke called his usual one. Luna's not left his side since the professors brought him in yesterday evening." Hermione lunged forward, escaping Ron's grip with the force of her sudden movement. Desperately she grabbed Bill by the collar of his robes and pulled him close so he couldn't look anywhere but her eyes.

"A-are you sure? Is-... is-..." Hermione couldn't form the question, too afraid to hope; too afraid to have to go through that crushing hurt again.

"Ron can be our bonder." Bill said, still looking eminently sure of himself. Slowly, shakily, Hermione nodded and let the eldest Weasley brother go.

"I-... when can we go? Can we go now?"

"Of course. Pomfrey gave me this portkey so that we could get you back there as quickly as possible." Bill replied smoothing down his collar with one hand while the other drew an empty potion phial from his pocket. Hermione reached out a trembling hand to grab a hold of it. She was about to demand that Bill activate the damn thing when she noticed that he was looking behind her. "Coming, Ron?"

"Yeah... yeah, of course." Ron answered, sounding a little distracted. He walked around the bed, far too slowly for Hermione's taste, and gingerly laid a finger on the phial. Bill nodded and drew his wand, tapping it on the portkey. Hermione barely even noticed the hook behind her navel or the dizzying ride. All of her focus was on what she might find at the end of their trip.

As soon as they landed Hermione was off like a shot. She dodged around an incoming Mrs. Weasley and barely evaded Madam Pomfrey. Both women called after her to no avail. Hermione just moved as fast as she could towards the most familiar bed in the wing, dodging around the clumps of people gathered around several other beds. There were curtains up around her target preventing her from seeing who was in the bed from a distance. At full speed she dove through the curtains, only to come to an immediate stop at the end of a rock steady wand.

"Oh, you're here." Luna lowered the wand and turned back to the figure in the bed. Hermione couldn't help but think that there had been something in Luna's voice that had implied that the little blonde felt that Hermione was late in getting here; far too late. Hermione set it aside for now and approached the bed. Lying pale against the crisp, white sheets was the face of her best friend. For a moment Hermione felt frozen in place. Then Harry's chest rose as he drew in a breath.

Hermione's knees almost gave way in relief and she barely managed to clutch Harry's bed in time to keep herself off of the floor. Carefully she made her way around the bed to take a seat opposite Luna. Her eyes never left the rise and fall of Harry's chest the whole way. With a chair under her to support her, Hermione felt steady enough to reach out and take Harry's hand.  _Warm. He's warm and_ alive. Something giddy welled up in Hermione's chest and she leant forward to pull Harry into a gentle hug, wary of aggravating any wounds he may have gotten in the battle he had apparently fought the day before.

Since she was still sitting in her chair Hermione's hug ended up with her stretched across her best friend, her head resting on Harry's chest. Each beat of his heart was a music more beautiful than any she could remember ever hearing. A deep breath filled Hermione's nostrils with a familiar scent and she felt herself melting into her best friend. Her eyes were already drooping closed, but nothing could have gotten the content smile playing on her lips to go away.

"Come on, Ms. Granger, that's enough now. Let's get you into your own bed." Madam Pomfrey's crisp tones cut through the pleasant haze Hermione was losing herself in. Looking up she realised that the healer, as well as Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Ron had entered without her realising.  _I can't have been lying there for long though... right?_

Hermione had a sinking feeling that she might have been oblivious to the world around her for longer than she had realised when she noticed that the curtains had been extended to include a second bed, obviously meant for her. Reluctantly Hermione allowed the healer to pull her to her feet and lead her over to that second bed. Once she had been placed under the covers and Madam Pomfrey was casting diagnostic charms, Hermione let her eyes search out the Weasleys.

"Bill, I-... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have attacked you like that. It was wrong of me." she gave the apology she had known she would have to since she had seen that Harry really was breathing. Bill just gave her an understanding smile.

"Hey, if you two saw him get hit with a Killing Curse then it was a pretty understandable reaction. Just remind me not to get you or Harry angry at me; ever." Hermione tried for a smile of her own, but she suspected that it probably looked a little wobbly. She was also pretty sure that no one was paying it too much attention though as Molly Weasley had apparently just processed what her eldest son had said.

"KILLING CURSE?! POOR, LITTLE HARRY WAS HIT WITH A KILLING CURSE?! OH, LET ME THROUGH! LET ME THROUGH!" Hermione grimaced and scrunched her eyes closed at that assault on her senses, but not before she had seen Mrs. Weasley shove Luna out of the way so that she could clasp Harry to her ample bosom as she wailed.

"Molly! Get out! I will not have you screaming like that in my hospital wing. The boy is clearly still alive so the histrionics are completely unacceptable." There was a brief lull which felt like the calm before the storm to Hermione. Madam Pomfrey apparently sensed something similar and forged on to cut that storm off before it could build up strength. "Go. Get the full story out of your sons, get it all out of your system and  _then_  you may return." the Hogwarts healer said firmly.

"Let's go, Mum. I haven't heard the full story yet either." Bill added his voice to the mix, clearly trying to sound as soothing as possible. The sounds of shuffling feet and muttering voices filled the area and then faded away as Bill and Ron seemed to have found a way to convince their mother to leave with them. Hermione heard a sigh of relief next to her and relaxed a little. Easing her eyes back open she caught Madam Pomfrey looking as relieved as she had sounded. Luna had once again taken up position at Harry's bedside, looking a little dishevelled after being caught in the fringes of the hurricane of motherly worry that was Mrs. Weasley.

"Alright, Ms. Granger." Hermione's attention was drawn back to Madam Pomfrey who seemed to have recovered her usual, brisk professionalism. "You don't seem to have done yourself too much damage. I can see that you missed a meal or two yesterday, but in the grander scale of things I can admit that most of us did. I will have a house elf bring you something to eat with your Tissue Regeneration Potion." Hermione just nodded meekly, hoping to keep the healer in a good enough mood to answer some of Hermione's burning questions. The healer beat her to the punch though. "Did Potter really get hit with a Killing Curse yesterday?" Hermione nodded and watched Madam Pomfrey raise her eyes heavenwards while throwing her hands up in frustration before stomping over to Harry's bed to begin checking him over once again.

"Um, could you please tell me what happened yesterday?" Hermione asked quietly, hoping that the tone might get the matron to answer the question without thinking too much about it.

"Harry fought Mr. Riddle and defeated him. Quite spectacularly too." Luna came walking around Harry's bed and sat down next to Hermione's. Hermione felt like those silvery eyes were looking straight through to her soul and gulped uncomfortably. "The Death Eaters had made it to the courtyard and we were doing our best to stop them from getting into the keep. No one knew where Harry was and it was leading to a bit of a morale problem to be honest. Most people aren't comfortable believing in something or someone if they aren't presented with evidence they understand." Luna's tone was airy and didn't carry so much as a hint of recrimination, but Hermione flushed guiltily all the same.

"We had been fighting for a while when we noticed something happening in the courtyard. There were Reductor Curses flying at Mr. Riddle. A lot of his Death Eaters ate those deaths for him. Do you think that's why he called them that?"

"I-... I don't know, Luna. Maybe?"

"I suppose it doesn't really matter any more. Mr. Riddle cast a rather powerful spell that nullified all other magic it came into contact with. It showed us that Harry had made himself invisible when we could see him again." Hermione felt uncomfortably aware of the fact that she had forgotten about the invisibility cloak wrapped around her waist, under her shirt.  _It's just so soft and comfortable that I didn't even notice it there with everything else that was going on._ Luna didn't notice Hermione's reaction, or simply ignored it, and continued the tale.

"Harry and Mr. Riddle started duelling. It was very impressive. I don't think that anyone else would have been able to cast as fast as those two were doing. Mr. Riddle was doing a bit better at it than Harry though and Harry was driven back until he was stuck in a corner of the courtyard. That's when Mr. Riddle used Fiendfyre. Harry managed to hold it off for a while before he used his wandless magic to hit Mr. Riddle in the head with a large bit of stone."

"Wait! Harry can use wandless magic?!" Hermione demanded, flabbergasted. Luna blinked at her with those large, grey eyes and Hermione was reminded of the way Crookshanks had sometimes stared at her before she sent him away with her parents.

"I forgot that you were unconscious when he got us out of Malfoy Manor. Didn't Ronald tell you though?"

"... no."  _Ron knew that Harry could use wandless magic? Why didn't he tell me? Did he tell me and I forgot? No. No, I can't always remember things by myself, but reminders usually bring the memories back. Ron didn't tell me this. No one did. Why not?_

"Really? How did he explain our escape from Malfoy Manor then?"

"I-... he-..."  _He really didn't explain anything. All he said was "_ _We saved you. We managed to get the key to the dungeon away from Wormtail. We got out of there with Loo- Luna, Mr. Ollivander and this goblin they had locked up in there with us. We found you and Lestrange and managed to get the drop on her. We carried you off of the grounds and then I apparated all of us over here._ _"_  As she was thinking things through, a different memory, one from that morning, joined in.  _"_ _We saw Harry get hit with the Killing Curse. We were the ones who brought his body back to the hospital wing._ _" He said_ we _were the ones who brought Harry back to the hospital wing... but I just activated his portkey._ We  _didn't_ bring  _him here at all._  Hermione shivered as she realised that she was going to have to go through all her conversations with Ron over the past several weeks and analyse them carefully.  _I think I'll wait until I've taken the potion. I can probably use all the help I can get to keep on track._

"Hermione?" Hermione's head jolted up and she found Luna looking at her, as serene as ever. "Oh good, you're back. Why don't I finish the story and you can think about what Ronald told you, or didn't tell you, later?" Hermione nodded slowly, still feeling more than a little unbalanced. "Well, after Harry hit Mr. Riddle with that rock he threw out a few more Reductor Curses and Mr. Riddle only managed to block one of them, so he got hurt quite badly. His Death Eaters came to help him, but Harry used that time to take control of the Fiendfyre."

"What? That's supposed to be impossible!"

"So is wandless magic."

"... good point."

"As I was saying: Harry took control of the Fiendfyre and used it to burn them all away. He was doing a good job of extinguishing the fire once it had done its job, but he suddenly screamed out in pain and collapsed. We still don't know what happened to him, but the professors went and got him and brought him here. Professor Flitwick managed to get rid of the last of the Fiendfyre. He said that it would have been impossible if Harry hadn't already reduced it as much as he had. He really wants to talk to Harry about a Charms Mastery when Harry wakes up."

Hermione nodded, numb from all the information that she was trying to process. She barely even noticed Madam Pomfrey finishing up her examination of Harry and leaving. She didn't register Luna patting her hand goodbye before moving to take up her original position next to Harry. Hermione's thoughts were tumbling over each other as she tried to figure out what everything she had been told meant for her. The first thing to bring her out of her reverie was a long, bony finger poking her in the side.

"Miss? Miss? Dobby is bringing Miss her food and her potion." Hermione blinked herself back to the here and now and saw a worried little elf looking up at her. "Thank you, Dobby." she said with a smile as she accepted the tray that he was offering her. Once she had it settled on her lap, Dobby bowed and popped out leaving her alone with her food. The first thing she did was to determinedly gulp down the Tissue Restoring Potion.  _There. Now to see if I can work out what else people have been trying to hide from me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that the references to The Princess Bride and Alladin aren't mine any more than Harry Potter is. Damn, would that be a nice collection of intellectual properties to have though.
> 
> I have to admit that the way Rowling brought Harry back to life (accidental blood horcrux + owning those disappointing plot-blocks known as the Death Hallows through methods that only work because reasons + something, something, Dark Side) still confuses the ever-loving shit out of me. I just don't get why she didn't go with one of a dozen more elegant solutions (one such possibility obviously being included in this fic). Together with 'Housewife Extraordinaire' beating 'Legendary Psychopath' in the Rock-Paper-Scissors of magical fighting that was the biggest disappointment of the final book.
> 
> To be honest the whole final battle was a bit of an afterthought in this fic... at least that was the idea when I started on this thing. When I finally started writing the scene though, I got pretty into it. For those of you who are wondering about the etymology of the incantation for Fiendfyre: Dis comes from "Dis Pater" the predecessor of Pluto as god of the underworld in ancient Rome. Even back then they shortened his name to "Dis" frequently and these days "Dis" is a synonym for the underworld, or at least a part of it (notably the City of Dis in Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy). The Incan- part comes from the verb "to incant" making the (loosely translated) meaning of the whole thing "invoke hell". As a bonus it kind of sounds like "incandescent".
> 
> Yes, Harry did get a bit too close to the fire for his own good and yes, the fire is aware to some extent. You'll have to see what damages if any he's suffered in the next chapter though.
> 
> Hermione is figuring out that people have been using her infirmity to slip things by her and knowing is half the battle as they say. I had intended to explain why she and Harry had such different reactions to the Cruciatus in this chapter, but the unexpected length of this fic means that it has been pushed back for one more chapter... again.


	10. Chapter 10

_"It's okay, sweetheart. Everything's going to be okay." Lily Potter was saying as she looked down at her son in concern. Harry couldn't figure out where that worry was coming from. Hadn't he defeated Riddle? Wasn't his job done now? "Yes, sweetheart, you're done. Just rest and remember that we love you no matter what, okay?"_

_"Okay, Mum."_

_"Good boy. Now go back to your friends; you're worrying them." Lily's smile was a little strained, but the love in her eyes was still genuine and warm as Harry remembered from his time in the afterlife. Harry looked around and found his father standing a little further back with Sirius. The two were whispering like naughty school boys and Harry couldn't imagine that those grins were the result of anything that his mother would approve of. They broke off their snickering long enough to wave at him and grin._

_"She's right on all counts, son." James Potter grinned. "We love you no matter what, now get back to that waking world."_

_"Yeah, or you'll miss out on a pair of girls wanting to drape themselves_ all over _you." Sirius added causing the pair to break down in howling laughter until Lily swatted them on the backs of their heads with a long-suffering expression that couldn't quite hide the twinkling of her eyes._

_"I think the reason he grew up to be such an admirable young man is mostly down to you two not being able to corrupt him." she sniffed while the corners of her mouth twitched up._

_"I wouldn't say that." James disagreed rubbing the back of his head with an unaffected grin. "If he'd been allowed to complete his seventh year he might have come pretty close to our detention records."_

_"Yeah, and he's still here and not with the cuddly girls so you should be thinking about how much sooner our influence could have gotten you grandkids." Sirius added, almost hiccuping with laughter that wanted to burst out._

_"I don't have to stay here and take this from someone who's main form of sexual activity for two decades was licking himself." Harry shot back, trying to ignore the way his cheeks were heating up._

_"Oi! I was only in Azkaban for less than twelve years!" Sirius protested._

_"Are you going to try and convince me that you weren't licking yourself before that?" Harry asked slyly. Watching Sirius sputter as he tried to find an answer gave all three Potters a laughing fit. As it petered out Harry found himself being hugged by three people at the same time like he had been before his mad flight to get back to his body. He couldn't have stopped the sigh of contentment that slipped out if he had wanted to. He stepped back and looked over his family one last time. "Bye, guys. I'm going to miss you."_

_"That's not wrong, sweetheart, as long as your remember the living who love you too." Lily's voice sounded like it was coming across a distance or as if someone had closed a door between them. The thought saddened Harry as he looked wistfully at the figures fading into the light. When the figures stopped fading and the background seemed to shift Harry blinked his eyes a few times in an effort to clarify what was going on._

"Madam Pomfrey! I think he's waking up!"

"Luna? Why are you yelling?" Harry groaned as he brought his hand up to rub at his eyes. It never got there as it stopped to rub at his aching chest without conscious input from him. Before he could work out what was wrong with him, he was distracted by Luna's voice.

"Because you're finally awake, you great, stupid, muscle-brained troglodyte." She sniffed, giving Harry the uncomfortable impression that she was crying. A moment later he was sure as she flung her arms around him and Harry could feel her body shaking and her tears dripping onto his neck.  _She smells like wildflowers._  Irritated at his own thought he swatted it away.  _Not the time for that now._ He slipped his arms around the little blonde's shoulders and tried to comfort her as best he could while he was still lying flat on his back.

Off to one side Harry could hear two voices arguing. The tone was so familiar that he knew that Hermione and Ron had to be close by.  _The next bed over if I had to guess. Strange, I don't remember seeing them in here when I woke up. I hope that means that they saw sense and hid and not that they're in here because they got injured even more during the battle._

It seemed that Luna had caught onto the sounds behind her as well as she slowly sat back up using the sleeve of her robes to wipe at her eyes. Harry thought he could hear the sounds of a scuffle and turned his head to try and get a look at what was happening. Before he even got a chance to try and get his eyes to focus he was caught in another strong hug while his face was assaulted by a wave of chestnut curls.

"You colossal, unthinking, stupid, noble  _idiot_! You promised! You promised you wouldn't go and get yourself killed!" Hermione was half sobbing into his neck.

"Um... I'm alive?" Harry tried. Hermione reared back and Harry didn't need his glasses to know that he was being glared at.

"Did you stop to  _think_  for even a moment?" she hissed. "Do you have any idea what it was like to have to watch you when-... you were dead, Harry! Your skin was cold."

"Oof." Harry grunted as he was grabbed by both girls at the same time. "I wasn't really dead... not exactly... technically."

"Shut up, Harry." Luna muttered as both she and Hermione squeezed him a little tighter.

"Miss Granger." came an exasperated sigh from somewhere above the bundle of arms that Harry was trapped in. "Why is that when Mr. Potter is staying in his bed for once I have you hopping out of yours every hour or so?" The arms withdrew as both girls apparently straightened up.

"But-... but-..." Hermione couldn't seem to decide how she wanted to argue her case.

"Get back to your bed. You'll be able to hear his diagnosis perfectly fine from there." Madam Pomfrey snapped in that strange sharp-yet-gentle tone that Harry had never heard anyone else use. The shuffling footsteps that followed the command made Harry think that it was being obeyed, however reluctantly. "As for you, Miss Lovegood, you'll need to let his hand go and stay out of the way while I'm working; understood?" Harry hadn't realised that he'd been holding Luna's hand until she withdrew it with a disgruntled look at Madam Pomfrey that looked strange on her usually dreamy face.

Madam Pomfrey ignored it all with practised professionalism and began casting diagnostic charms at Harry. He just waited for the clucking and tutting and remonstrations to take better care of himself to begin. When those reactions didn't come and Pomfrey just frowned in concern instead Harry felt worry roaring up inside of him.

"Madam Pomfrey?"

"Hmm? Oh. No there is just a strange reading on your magical core and I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. It could just be down to your ability to apparently perform wandless magic, or surviving another Killing Curse, or taking control of Fiendfyre cast by another wizard, or any of the other ridiculously impossible feats you've pulled off recently. I'd simply feel better if I could say what was causing it with any certainty. Do you feel up to a few tests?"

"What kind of tests?"

"Casting a few spells to let me see how your core reacts."

"OK. I should be able to do that."

"Excellent. Let's get you sitting up straight and then you can begin." Madam Pomfrey declared as she stepped forward. Luna joined her and together they helped Harry wriggle his way into a sitting position where he was leaning against the pillows on his bed. Luna slipped his glasses onto his nose with a smile and the hospital wing came into much clearer focus. Harry noticed that Hermione was watching him with concern and tried to give her a reassuring smile. Standing next to her, wearing a guarded expression, was Ron. When green eyes met blue Ron just gave a cool nod which Harry returned. Madam Pomfrey pushing the acacia wand into his hand pulled Harry's attention back to where it was supposed to be. He saw that she had also placed a pillow on the floor.

"Right let's start off easy: the Levitation Charm. Please make this pillow hover at a height of five feet." Harry nodded and performed the spell. Just to be on the safe side he used the incantation and wand-movement. The pillow rose into the air without protest until it was hovering at Harry's best estimate of five feet. "Good. You may put it down, Potter." As soon as Harry had released the magic Pomfrey was waving her wand in front of his chest again. "How do you feel?"

"Not really any different?" Harry offered. His chest was still sore, but he thought that was probably due to the Killing Curse rather than anything to do with his magical core. After all, it hadn't changed while he was casting the spell.

"Mhm. The Summoning Charm next, if you would, Potter." Again Harry cast the spell as he was asked. The pillow soared through the air cleanly and landed in his lap with a soft sigh.  _Is it my imagination or does she looked relieved._  "Good. Perhaps we could round it off with a more advanced spell. The Patronus Charm perhaps?" Nodding, Harry lifted his wand for a third time and gathered his memories of the people who meant the most to him.

" _Expecto Patronum_." The glowing silver stag erupted from Harry's wand like it usually did, but a split second later Harry's world was consumed with a burning pain. He thought he might be screaming, but he couldn't be sure. The only thing he was sure of was that his body was on fire and that the flames were lancing out from somewhere behind his sternum. Slowly, bit by bit, Harry managed to gain control over his senses again. He discovered that he was hanging off of the side of the bed and that the only reason he had apparently avoided smacking his face into the floor was the small body under his chest that was desperately holding him up. There was sweat streaming out of his every pore and he was panting like he had just swum for his life against a shark. He brought his trembling arms up to push himself back onto the bed and to take some weight off of his rescuer. Gaining some space he saw that Luna had been the one to catch him. The worried look on the little blonde's face was mirrored on Madam Pomfrey's. Harry was struck by the notion that he couldn't remember ever seeing either of them with this particular expression. Looking around he saw that Hermione looked just as worried and that Ron just looked freaked out.

"How bad is it?" he rasped out before swallowing and trying again in something that sounded a bit more like his normal voice.

"Bad, Potter." Pomfrey admitted. "It would seem you damaged your core. If I would have to guess I would say it probably happened during that last exchange with You Know Who when you were using both your wand and wandless magic. You must have used more magic than your body could handle."

"What's it going to take to get me better?"

"I'm not sure. It's going to take me a few days to understand exactly what the damage is and whether there's anything we can do at all. As a preliminary diagnosis though: you may never be able to cast anything more taxing than an O.W.L. level spell again. I-... I'm sorry, Harry." A part of Harry wanted to crumple in on himself when he heard that.  _That means that I'll never be able to get my N.E.W.T.s. Maybe I should just admit to casting those Unforgivables. At least in Azkaban I'd have a roof over my head._

Harry didn't know why he was laughing or if what he was doing could even be considered laughing. He didn't know when he had started. He didn't know when he had been pulled into a warm pair of arms that had brought his head down onto a shoulder. The world had simply stopped making sense. He didn't resist when a pale, blue potion was poured down his throat and the noise around him seemed to subside. He found himself lying down on his bed again with Luna's hand clutching his almost painfully tightly; or maybe he was holding on to her that tightly.  _Don't let go... please, don't let go. I'm afraid that if you let go I'll drift away and never find myself again._

"Don't worry, Harry Potter. I'm not letting you go. If you do lose yourself we'll just go find you again. Just rest now."  _Did I say that out loud? Am I dreaming?_  Harry's thoughts couldn't give him the answer as they just kept circling around the fact that he had become a magical invalid. In the end he couldn't keep up with his own tension and his eyelids fluttered closed.

:-:-:-:-:

Harry was sitting with has back leaning against one of the walls in the courtyard where Riddle had finally died his last death. He had positioned himself so that he was looking out at the Forbidden Forest through the open gates. Over the past few days he'd had to endure being poked, prodded and fussed over by everyone from Molly Weasley to St. Mungo's Chief of Healing. In the end the conclusion from every expert had been the same: Harry Potter would never cast another spell beyond the O.W.L. level successfully.

It had been a devastating realisation for the experts as much as for Harry. The wizarding world was apparently having trouble coming to terms with the idea that its most recent saviour wasn't going to be a replacement for the likes of Merlin and Dumbledore. Harry felt the pressure of this perceived failure keenly and it had almost swamped out another feeling; one he had come out here to hold on to.

 _It's done. It's really, finally done._  The realisation that he had finally fulfilled the prophecy left him feeling empty behind the relief.  _I can do whatever I want with my life now. Strange how I never realised that I have no idea what that might be._ He knew that he could be inside with everyone else celebrating, but something about the pain in his chest left him utterly unwilling to put up a happy front.  _I wonder if_ _it's due to_ _the_ _damage_ _to my core_ _?_ _Should I ask_ _Madam Pomfrey?_ _No, that will only lead to more bed-rest._

Not that Harry had been particularly active outside of the hospital wing, but being  _forced_ to stay there on top of everything else might be what finally cost him his sanity.  _And that really would be letting my parents and Sirius down._ Harry hadn't told anyone about what he had seen while he had been 'mostly dead' and no one had asked him about it yet. He had spent a lot of time thinking about it though. He had been going over every detail of what he had seen and heard in an effort to understand what his father had tried to tell him about their surroundings being a reflection of his soul.

The sound of a twig snapping of to his right interrupted Harry's musings and caused his head to jerk up, but upon seeing the dirty blond hair of the person who was encroaching on his solitude he decided to let it be.  _I'm not sure hiding from Luna is even possible._ The little blonde was shunning normalcy as much as ever and came skipping barefoot across what had been a battlefield only a few days ago. She didn't say a word as she sat down next to him, she just joined him in staring at the woods for the moment. Eventually it was Harry who broke the silence.

"Is there something you need, Luna?" Harry hadn't wanted his words to have any kind of biting tone to them and unfortunately that meant that they came out bone weary.

"Yes, actually. I want you to promise me that you'll come and say goodbye before you leave." she told him sounding unusually firm.

"What makes you think I'm leaving?" Harry asked in surprise.

"You are drawing back from everyone. Every time someone thanks you, you look like a cornered animal. When you don't think anyone can see you, you stare longingly at the horizon. You want to leave. I don't know if you will, but if you do I want you to come and say goodbye." Harry thought about Luna's words for a moment.  _Leave?_  The idea alone brought a wave of longing crashing into him.  _I want to leave. Leave this place. Leave these people before they turn on me again. Leave a life that will never be my own. What's keeping me here?_  The faces of his friends flashed in front of him, but even those couldn't dampen the sudden desire to be away from here that had filled his heart.

"I won't be leaving before the funerals are done, Luna. Those people fought against the darkness, just like we did and it would be worse than rude not to pay my respects. After that…" Harry just shrugged, unsure of where that sentence was likely to end.

"I think I understand, Harry. You will come say goodbye though?"

"I promise I will, Luna." The two friends sat in quiet companionship after that. Harry's thoughts kept returning to the desire that Luna had made him aware of.  _Leaving sounds very appealing, but where would I go? I did promise my parents that I would visit their graves properly once the war was done, but that isn't going to take more than a day at most. What about after that?_ Harry was drawing a blank on what he might want to go see or do.

 _This is pathetic. Even when one of my friends shows me the direction I want to take, it turns out that I don't actually_ want  _anything. Maybe I should just travel around and see what comes my way. I could go and see the ocean, the mountains, anything really. Just keep travelling until I find somewhere that I actually want to stay. Should I use magical or muggle travel? Why not both? I can use my broom and apparition to get around or trains and buses._

A vision of a tent filled Harry's mind's eye. It was the tent he had seen at the edge of the afterlife, but it seemed to somehow be overlayed with his memories of his time in another tent with Hermione while they searched for ways to accomplish their mission. The longing jumped up a notch as Harry thought about the peace he had felt in the middle of a war in that tent.

While Harry was mulling over the possibilities he never noticed the way that his hand had come up to play with the simple stone that still hung around his neck. It didn't have any more magical properties, but it hadn't even occurred to Harry that he might take it off. The sun was starting to set when Luna finally broke the silence between the two.

"Come on, Harry. I think it's time that we get back inside." she said quietly while laying a hand on his shoulder. Harry's head came up and he blinked in confusion.

"I guess you're right."  _I'm already lucky I had such a peaceful afternoon. I'm_ really _lucky that Luna came out to talk._  "Hey, Luna? Thanks."

"You're welcome, Harry." Luna smiled in response. Harry walked into the Great Hall with his blond friend by his side. As soon as they stepped inside Harry was swamped in a tide of people wanting to be close to him that swept Luna away. More than the previous nights though Harry was able to put up with the swirling press of humanity. Luna's words stood like a breakwater in front of him and promised that there would be an end to this and that he would be able to choose when that end came.

Over the next few days Harry became increasingly difficult to find except when there was a funeral being held. He was always there to pay his respects to the fallen, but afterwards he disappeared like mist under the morning sun. No one noticed a small elf visiting Gringotts or a store that sold magical tents. Because no one noticed the elf they also didn't notice the worried look on its face or the way it nervously bit its knuckles when it was sure that there were no witnesses about. The elf was wrestling with its conscience and it knew that time was running out for it to come to a decision; a decision that could be considered monumental for several magical beings.

:-:-:-:-:

Hermione wiped her brow as she placed yet another ancient tome on a shelf in the library. The damage to most of the castle's interior had been minimal, but the shaking that had resulted from the attack had led to absolute chaos in the library. Madam Pomfrey had decided that Hermione would be the one to put all the books back in their place. According to the nurse it was an ideal form of physiotherapy for Hermione since it incorporated something she loved, staying mentally alert to ensure that the books went in their proper places and allowed her to exercise her left hand which was still giving her trouble. Not to mention that Madam Pince had fled the country once it became obvious that You Know Who would be running the school through Snape. A squib librarian would never have been tolerated in a blood purist's world.

It had also been agreed that Hermione wouldn't be allowed to work unsupervised, just in case. Ron had joined her on the first day, but it soon became obvious that sitting around in a library still wasn't something he would ever do well. Hermione couldn't say that she was sad to have some time without her red-headed friend around. There were still too many unanswered questions about what he had and hadn't told her and Hermione still hadn't worked out why he was acting the way he was.

Harry had volunteered to help, but that had been shot down since he was still convalescing himself. Madam Pomfrey still had several patients who had been hit with particularly nasty curses during the battle and couldn't be away from them for too long. As a result Hermione now spent her days with Luna as a supervisor while she reorganised the library. The little Ravenclaw was only too happy to be able to spend some time reading and occasionally checking in on Hermione to make sure that she wasn't overdoing things.

"I think it's about time you took a break, Hermione."  _Speak of the devil..._

"I think I can do another shelf or so." Hermione disagreed while giving the shelf in question a critical look.

"Hmm, then I should probably get Madam Pomfrey down here. If you think that you can keep going when your hands are trembling like they are then you might have a Fustian Grumpling infestation." Hermione had to recentre herself after that off the wall comment.  _It's fantastic that she's willing to help me like this, but sometimes I wish she was a little more_ here _with the rest of us._

"Fine. I'll take a break." Hermione huffed, her disappointment that her body wasn't able to keep up with her any more sneaking into her voice.

"Great! Let's have some tea." Luna beamed. There was something disarming about the way she managed to ignore the little things that would have annoyed anyone else.  _Well, anyone else except maybe Harry. Besides, I know that she does notice these things. She wouldn't have noticed that my arms were trembling if she didn't pay attention at all._  Self-consciously Hermione shoved her hands in her pockets. It was less reassuring than it might have been since she knew how many times she had chided Harry and Ron for walking around like that.

Hermione followed Luna to one of the tables in a section of the library that she had managed to clear already and sat down trying to force herself to not look like a petulant child while she flopped down into the chair. Luna just serenely called for Dobby and asked him to bring them some tea. It had taken Hermione some time to accept that the little elf seemed to have assigned himself to be their personal butler and caretaker. It wasn't until she had seen Dobby physically chase another elf from the library because he thought it had been trying to usurp his position that she had really accepted the current situation the new normal. After that Hermione had decided to let the matter lie until she managed to come with an utterly unshakable argument for why Dobby shouldn't be straining himself like this.  _Maybe I can get Harry to talk to him for me?_

While Hermione had been pondering Dobby's strange behaviour, the elf in question had returned with the requested tea and some biscuits. Hermione had to divert all her attention into pouring herself a cup of tea without spilling anything on the tabletop. A single drop outside of her cup and she'd never be able to convince Luna that she could still do more after a little rest. The Ravenclaw Tyrant was a lot harder to convince than either Ron or Harry.

"Dobby? Is something wrong?" Hermione looked up and saw Luna looking at Dobby with concern. He was still standing next to their table, nervously twisting one of the hats Hermione had knitted for the elves back in fifth year.

"Dobby-... Dobby is not sure, Miss. Dobby was not sure what was the right thing to do and now that he has made a decision... well, Dobby still isn't being sure, Miss." Hermione worked her way through the pidgin English and arrived at the conclusion that the elf had been facing a dilemma that he had recently resolved.  _But why is he telling us this now?_

"Is there anything we can do to help, Dobby?" she askesolicitously.

"There is, Miss." Dobby agreed slowly, turning his bulbous eyes on Hermione. "Missies please be reading these letters and... and please be helping Harry Potter, sir."

"What's wrong with Harry?!" Hermione demanded sharply, worry sweeping through her.  _Damn it, Harry, you had better not be hiding some kind of injury from us._

"Perhaps the letters will tell us." Luna saved a slightly frightened Dobby from having to answer. "You seem to have two of them so we should probably get started." Hermione accepted the gentle rebuke for what it was.

"Sorry about that, Dobby. I just worry about Harry and well... I'm sorry."

"Miss does not need to apologise to Dobby." the little elf said quietly. "Dobby understands. Dobby worries about Harry Potter too." Hermione gave Dobby a reassuring smile and turned her attention to the letters Harry had written her. It did not take her long to become completely absorbed in the words her best friend had written for her.

It was a bit disconcerting to read as he was clearly writing it to her as if he was dead already. When she got to the reason he had chosen to write the letter like that Hermione couldn't stifle a gasp.  _A horcrux? You had a horcrux in your head? Oh, Harry..._ It was clear that her friend had been struggling with this last thing that was being demanded of him to end You Know Who's reign of terror once and for all and Hermione couldn't blame him in the slightest.

When she got to the end of his letter and read what had given him the courage to face such a bleak destiny Hermione couldn't stop the tears that softly leaked down her cheeks. Knowing that she had a friend who was willing to lay down his life, just to give her a slightly better chance at surviving... it felt like something had fundamentally shifted in Hermione's understanding of the universe. She looked up in surprise when a pair of warm arms slipped around her and found Luna hugging her tightly. Hermione couldn't see the younger witch's face, but she suspected that tears much like her own were staining it. Eventually Luna pulled back and rubbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her robe, confirming Hermione's suspicions.

"Have you read your second letter?" she asked. Hermione blinked down and saw that she had indeed forgotten about the second letter Dobby had given her.

"Not yet. After that first one, I have to admit I'm a little apprehensive about it."

"Dobby gave it to you for a reason though." Luna insisted.

"I suppose so. Why did he give them to us though?"

"We'll ask him after you've read your second letter. After all: it might contain the answer we're looking for." With a theatrical sigh and an almost involuntary smile Hermione gave into the Ravenclaw's gentle bullying. Picking up the letter she began to read. It was similar to the first one she'd read except that it was... lighter somehow. It was clear to Hermione that Harry hadn't really believed that he would die when he wrote this particular letter.  _I can't believe it took a letter for me to realise that there is no way the Weasleys would have stocked their tent with_ muggle _foods. That was before I was injured too. I was just so happy to have a source of food that I didn't even think about where it might have come from. It was sweet of Harry to write this letter even if he didn't really think it would be needed. No, this letter is fine. T_ _he other one..._ A shiver passed through Hermione as those words, words Harry had thought would be his last, danced in front of her eyes again.

"Dobby?" she croaked out.

"Yes, Miss?" came the elf's quiet voice.

"Why did you give us these letters?"

"That is being a difficult question to answer, Miss. Mostly Dobby is doing it because Harry Potter told Dobby to give those letters to his Misses if he dies."

"Harry's dead?!" Hermione was on her feet ready to go, even if she had no idea where she would go or what she would do once she got there. A small hand tugged her back down.

"You said it was difficult to answer Hermione's question, Dobby. That sounded fairly straightforward." Luna said dreamily and Hermione couldn't quite escape the feeling that Luna was speaking more for her benefit than Dobby's.

"It is, Miss. The great Harry Potter was dead, but now he is not." Dobby answered. If Luna hadn't pulled her down into the chair, Hermione was sure the relief would have made her collapse.

"That would complicate matters." Luna agreed easily. "What made you decide to give them to us anyway?"

"Harry Potter, sir, asked Dobby to give those letters to his misses if he died, but he did not say that Dobby could not do it if Harry Potter came back to life."  _Well, of course he wouldn't. Who expects something like that?_  Dobby was scuffing the toe of his sock against the hardwood library floor. "Harry Potter also asked Dobby to take care of his Missies. Dobby is worried that if the Missies did not read the letters they will lose Harry Potter and they will be hurt. That would not be taking care of Harry Potter's Missies." Dobby's explanation sounded more like a rationalisation than a reason to Hermione, but given that Dobby wasn't being forthcoming about his real motivations she didn't think that pestering him would help.  _Besides, I think I can guess the actual motivation. Dobby's worried about something Harry is about to do._

"Thank you, Dobby. We'll take it from here." Luna said with a smile. Dobby returned the smile gratefully and popped out of existence. Hermione stared at the space where the little elf had been standing a moment before and felt that familiar, gaping uncertainty opening up in front of her; the same uncertainty that sorting books managed to keep at bay.  _Guess I can't put off facing it any more. The choice is about to be made, one way or another._ "Hermione!" Hermione jolted as she realised that Luna had been trying to get her attention for a while now.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Luna. What were you saying?"

"I was saying that we should find Harry before he leaves."

"Leaves?" Hermione couldn't remember the idea of Harry going anywhere coming up before.  _Then again I can't really count on my memory too much right now, even if it is getting better._

"You mean that you haven't noticed?" Luna asked incredulously. "Harry is preparing to leave us, Hermione. He promised that he would at least wait until after the funerals, but I don't think he'll be around much longer. If we're going to help him it has to be now."

"But-... but the last of the funerals was today!" Hermione cried out. "Harry can't leave. I'm not ready yet."

"You're going with him?" Luna asked, sounding delighted.

"What?! Where did you get that idea?"

"You're the one who said that she wasn't ready yet." Luna pointed out looking at Hermione in a way that was eerily similar to the way most people looked at Luna when she was talking about one of her creatures.

"I was talking about-... something else." Hermione tried to dodge the implicit question. Luna just kept looking at her until she cracked and reluctantly admitted to the confusion that had been plaguing her. As Hermione spoke, Luna just watched quietly and listened. Finally Hermione finished recounting her uncertainties regarding her two friends and fell silent. For a long time Luna didn't say anything.

"What we need," she said when she finally began talking, "is to apply reason to the problem."

"What do you think I've been trying to do?" Hermione asked, feeling a little hurt.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Hermione, but you haven't always been thinking clearly in the past few weeks." Hermione gave a grim nod, admitting Luna's point. "I think it's best if we go through this point by point. Let's start with 'why'. Why do you mistrust Ronald?"

"Because I know that he's not been entirely truthful with me and I can't understand why."

"You can't? Well, we'll come back to that in a moment. Why do you mistrust Harry?"

"Same reason."

"Very well. Let's verify the lies they've been telling you then." Luna suggested.

"How?"

"Well, let's take one lie from each of them; the ones that are bothering you the most."

"For Ron that would be not telling me what really happened at Malfoy Manor. For Harry it's that he told us he was held under the Cruciatus when he wasn't." Hermione bit out as she fought the pain of betrayal that washed through her.

"Hmm. How about if you went to talk to Ronald and ask him about several details about what happened? I was there for part of it, so I can corroborate or contradict at least some of what he tells you. Would that work for a verification test?" Luna asked. Hermione thought it over for a moment before giving a jerky nod.

"Why don't we have both of you tell me what happened separately? I'll use a Dicta-Quill to record your stories and compare them. That way there won't be any way for you to react to what he's saying."

"An excellent idea." Luna agreed happily as she pulled a piece of parchment and a Dicta-Quill out of her bag. Hermione was assaulted with a sudden suspicion that despite this set-up being Hermione's idea, Luna was the one getting exactly what she wanted. Luna set up the writing implements and began telling her story. When Hermione asked questions Luna answered them without hesitation. Finally Hermione had a piece of parchment filled with Luna's account of what had happened. "Now, why don't we leave the set up here and I go find Ronald for you. Personally I would make sure that the parchment is out of sight." Without waiting for a response the eccentric little blonde skipped out of the library.

Hermione sighed and decided to do as Luna had suggested and put the quill and parchment behind the nearest bookcase. She didn't have to wait long for Ron to show up. He came running into the library, chest heaving as he tried to gulp down air.

"Herms! What's going on?! Are you alright?! Looney told me you really needed to see me." Concern was clearly written across the red-head's face and for a moment Hermione felt the sight warm her heart.  _No. Focus. I have to get an answer here before its too late._

"Don't call her that, Ron." Hermione reprimanded, the annoyance at having to do so again wearing at her like a familiar weight. "She was doing me a favour."

"Yeah, yeah. What's wrong? What can I help with?" Hermione took a deep breath and set aside Ron's dismissive attitude towards Luna for now.

"I want you to tell me about what happened at Malfoy Manor." Hermione felt a stab of disappointment at the way Ron's expression shifted from concern to suspicion.

"Why?"

"It's-... it's because of my nightmares. I need to know what really happened and what my mind is just throwing up as a guess. Please, Ron?" Hermione was a little surprised at how easily the lie rolled off of her tongue, but tried to look as earnest as possible. Ron's eyes tracked over her face for a moment before he gave a curt nod.

"I'm not sure what I can tell you that I haven't already. Um, you do remember what I told you, right?"

"Could you tell me again? Just in case." Hermione tried to make her question as pleading as possible. Experience told her that both of her best friends were more likely to give in if she did.

"Fine." Ron gusted out in a sigh that was definitely part annoyance. " We managed to get the key to the dungeon away from Wormtail. We got out of there with  _Luna_ , Mr. Ollivander and that goblin. We found you and Lestrange and managed to get the drop on her. We carried you off of the grounds and then I apparated all of us over to Bill's place."

"How did you get the key away from Wormtail? They'd taken our wands hadn't they?" Hermione focused on Ron whose eyes were darting back and forth for a second before he answered her question.  _That doesn't look promising. Luna was able to look me calmly in the eye while she spoke. Ron's nervous about his answer, like he's trying to figure out what to tell me._

"I managed to grab Wormtail's arm through the bars of the door and pulled him back. The force of his head hitting the bars knocked him unconscious and I managed to get the key out of his hand. I opened the cell door and Harry rushed out past me and took the chance to stamp on Wormtail's neck until it broke. I couldn't get to him in time to stop him." Hermione noticed that Ron hadn't made eye-contact once during his recital.  _He's lying. I don't even need to compare his story to Luna's to know that. Why though? I don't think he was lying before, so why start now?_

"Oh. And getting the drop on Bellatrix? How did that happen?"

"Well, after we'd gotten Harry off of Wormtail, I took the rat's wand. I used to cast a Stupefy at Lestrange's back while she was gloating at you. Then I picked you up and carried you out of there."

"There weren't any other Death Eaters?"

"I didn't see any."  _Huh. That bit was true. He actually looked me in the eyes for that one. Then again if I believe Luna's account, Ron_ wouldn't  _have seen any Death Eaters._

"And then you apparated all of us back to Shell Cottage?"

"Of course. I really wanted to make sure that you got help as quickly as possible."  _That looks like it was truth as well. At least it seems like he really was and is concerned about my health._

"Thanks, Ron. I think I'll be able to sleep a little better now."

"You need any help with that, I'm always available." Ron grinned at her with a wink. "You ready to get out of here?"

"Not quite yet. I want to at least finish a few more shelves."

"Alright. I'll see you at lunch then?"

"I'm going to try and convince Luna that we can have our lunch here. Once she drags me out of the library she never lets me back in."

"Dinner then." Ron decided, leaning over to kiss her. Hermione turned her head slightly and the kiss landed just next to her mouth. Ron gave her a look before shaking himself and leaving the library with a half hearted wave. Once he was gone, Hermione deactivated the quill and began putting books back on the shelves while she waited for Luna to come back. She only managed to replace four before she heard a throat clearing behind her.

"Well?" Luna asked idly. "Did that help?"

"His story is nothing like yours." Hermione admitted, dancing around the idea that Ron had been lying to her.

"It's up to you to decide which one of us you believe." Luna shrugged shoving them straight into the topic in complete disregard for Hermione's doubts. "Shall we check Harry's lie next?"

"How did you plan to do that? There aren't any other witnesses we can question about what happened at the end of the Tournament. Everyone who was there is dead except for Harry."

"We don't have direct witnesses, but I can think of a way to get indirect confirmation." Luna said dreamily. "Let's go." She grabbed Hermione's hand and began pulling. Hermione resisted for a moment as her last excuse to not have to accompany Ron hadn't been a complete lie: if she left the library, Luna wasn't likely to let her return. The urgency of working through her confusion quickly reasserted itself though and washed away her hesitation. Luna led them to the hospital wing and pulled Hermione over to Madam Pomfrey.

"Ms. Lovegood, did something happen to Ms. Granger?" the healer asked sharply.

"Nothing acute, Madam." Luna responded airily. "We just had a question and I think the answer would go a long way towards helping Hermione heal."

"Very well. What did you want to ask?"

"How long was Harry held under the Cruciatus in his fourth year?"

"I cannot divulge information on my patients like that, Ms. Lovegood." Madam Pomfrey said sternly.

"But Hermione is getting in her own way because she isn't getting better at the same rate Harry did back then. Can you at least reassure her that there's a reason for that?" Hermione did her best to look like this wasn't news to her. She didn't have to fake her nervousness and need to know though. Madam Pomfrey scrutinised the two of them for a moment before gusting out a sigh that reminded Hermione uncomfortably of the one she had heard from Ron a short while ago.

"Ms. Granger... without getting into too much detail about the two cases, I can assure you that you are doing very well in your recovery. The damage to your nervous system was far more extensive than Potter's and you didn't see a healer until two weeks after the event. Potter was brought to me within hours of his ordeal."

"Is it possible that Harry was hit with a different curse?" Hermione asked, trying not to sound like she had a hope for one answer over another.

"No. No, I'm afraid that Potter was definitely hit with the Cruciatus in his fourth year. I do believe that that and damaging his core are the only two times he's ever admitted to me that he was feeling any kind of pain. Figures it would take the unforgivables to get him that far." The last sentence was more of a mutter and Hermione didn't think that it was really directed at her or anyone else.

"See, Hermione? The difference in your recovery rates is simply down to the circumstances. You really shouldn't be comparing the two at all." Luna reassured her serenely. Hermione couldn't help but hear the underlying message though.  _Harry didn't lie. Not about that at least. He confessed to the times he_ did _lie in those letters, but... they don't seem so bad for some reason._ The two girls dutifully accepted Madam Pomfrey's admonitions that they take it easy and certainly come to her if there was anything else she could do for them before they left. They walked side by side in silence for a while before Luna asked the inevitable question. "Has our research given you a new perspective?"

"I-... I don't know. Harry's lies don't seem so bad after he confessed to them and the worst one turned out not to be a lie at all, but-... why? I still don't understand." Hermione could swear that Luna looked a little disappointed in her.

"Haven't you figured out why those two lied to you yet?"

"No. Why?"

"It has to do with how they see you."

"What do you mean?" Luna just shook her head.

"You need to figure that out for yourself. It won't work if I just tell you. The difference is important though."  _Darn it all. Why won't she just tell me_ _?_ _No, I can work this out for myself. Let's start with the hint Luna just gave me: what is the difference between how Harry and Ron see me?_ _Well, that's easy: Ron sees me as his girlfriend and Harry... doesn't. How does that affect why they lied to me though?_

"Arrgh!" Hermione cried out her frustration.

"Hermione, calm down." Luna scolded her dreamily. "You're trying too hard. Instead of asking yourself why, try asking what they hoped to accomplish."

"They didn't want me to find out the truth."

"Why not?"

"Because it would make them look bad? Because I would get angry at them for what they were doing?"

"Hmm. Is that true for both of them?" Hermione opened her mouth and then closed it again as she mulled over Luna's question.

"I wouldn't have gotten angry at Ron if he hadn't been the one to single-handedly pull me out of Malfoy Manor." she began slowly, feeling her way through her answer. "And I don't think that running of to get us provisions or sacrifice himself for us would have made Harry look bad." Luna didn't say anything, but there was a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips that told Hermione that she was getting closer to what her blond friend had meant. "So Ron lies to me to make himself look better... and Harry lies to me because he is afraid I'll stop him from doing something stupidly heroic?"

"More or less. I would have said that Ronald lies in an attempt to impress you and Harry lies to you in an attempt to protect you, but your phrasing works too."

"But I know that Ron was showing honest concern for me." Hermione protested. Luna just shrugged.

"Of course he was. They both love you, you know? They aren't the same though, so their love isn't the same either. One isn't necessarily more or better than the other, but you need to decide if the difference is important to you." Hermione turned that thought over in her mind a few times.

"I-... I think that the difference is important to me." she finally mumbled out.

"I think it's important to you too." Luna agreed.

"Why do you say that?"

"When Dobby asked us to take care of Harry you were up out of your seat before he could get another word out. You already knew what mattered to you, you just didn't know it yet." Hermione shook her head as she tried to wrap her mind around Luna's unconventional phrasing. "Still, now that we're up and about we should probably go and give into that first instinct of yours."

"You know where Harry is, don't you?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"I don't  _know_. I have a pretty good guess though." Hermione decided to simply follow Luna until she led them to Harry, convinced that Luna's 'good guess' would turn out to be as accurate as Dumbledore's 'good guesses' had usually been according to Harry. Luna led them to the courtyard and unerringly headed over to a corner that was thrown in shadow by the castle's great walls. As they got closer Hermione could make out a familiar figure sitting with his back against those walls. There was something about the way that Harry was staring out into the distance that made Hermione reluctant to break him out of whatever thoughts he was having. Instead, when Luna sat down next to him, Hermione sat down on Harry's other side. As she crossed in front of him she saw his eyes blink and he seemed to slowly come back to the here and now. Once those green eyes were focused on her Hermione couldn't hold back her voice any more.

"Hey. You looked a million miles away. What were you thinking about?" Hermione kept her voice hushed in deference to the atmosphere of deep contemplation that still lingered around them as if Harry had managed to bring a bit of the library outside with him. Harry himself just shrugged.

"Stuff." He croaked, his voice gone from having sat in silence for what must have been quite a while. To Hermione it seemed like his voice hadn't quite joined his attention in coming back to them.

"Stuff?"

"Stuff. What happens now? Where do I go? What do I do? You know... stuff." Harry's gaze was already heading back to the horizon and Hermione's next question tumbled out of her in an attempt to draw him back before he drifted too far away from them.

"So what do you think your future holds?"

"I don't know, Hermione. There isn't a particularly bright future for a wizard who isn't fully qualified and the dim lighting makes it difficult to see."  _Smart arse._

"I thought the Ministry had offered you honorary N.E.W.T.s and a Mastery in Defence?" Hermione tried, hoping to pull him out of his funk. Harry just shook his head.

"Accepting those makes a mockery of the entire system. Those certificates are supposed to tell the world that you can do the magic involved in getting them; I can't. It wouldn't be fair to people like you who are going to get them the proper way."

"I'm years away from getting my N.E.W.T.s, Harry." Hermione admitted bitterly. "Right now I can't hold my wand, so I can't do the practical parts. Don't!" she warned as she saw Harry about to object. "I know what you're going to say: I still have my right hand. I've tried, Harry, but it performs all the wand-movements as mirrors of themselves. I may be able to relearn them, but like I said: that'll take years."

"What are you going to do in the meantime?" Harry asked quietly.  _Maybe he's hoping that my future plans will help him gain some clarity?_

"I'll probably take a job at the Ministry. Writing policy doesn't require any magic." Hermione replied with a shrug. Harry nodded, seemingly unaffected and resumed staring at the trees. It didn't take long for his silence to get to Hermione. "What about you?" she asked when he didn't volunteer any information.

"I think I'll do what Luna suggested and leave."

"What?!" Hermione's gaze swung to find her blond friend. Luna was already shaking her head in denial.

"I didn't suggest that to you, Harry. I just saw that you were getting ready to go and asked you to say goodbye before you did."

"Maybe, but it hadn't occurred to me before then." Harry smiled at them. "It makes a lot of sense to me though. If I go into the government like you want to, Hermione, then there will always be idiots who insist on listening to me even though I have no idea about how the world really works. I realised that I'm never going to be able to escape that. It's like Ginny said: No matter how you play with the semantics of it I  _am_ the Boy Who Lived and everyone else is going to insist on seeing me like that. If I can't change that, then I can at least work at learning enough that I don't muck it up too badly." Hermione couldn't keep from throwing her arms around Harry and the thump that travelled through his body told her that Luna had done the same on the other side.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I thought you were just running away." Hermione whispered. "Will you tell me what your plan is?"

"I'm not sure it really counts as a plan." Harry admitted as Hermione felt his arm settle across her shoulders. "I was just going to go out and see the world. I've never really been anywhere except for Little Whinging, the Burrow and Hogwarts. I thought I'd start by travelling around Europe and then across Asia. I figure that in a couple years I should have reached- um..." Harry trailed off uncomfortably.

"Should have reached what, Harry?"

"Should have reached Australia. I figured that if you hadn't picked up your parents for some reason I'd check in on them and make sure they were doing okay." he said while his body tensed.

"Oh, Harry..."  _Even when he's won a war at great personal cost he just won't stop thinking about others. This is what Luna meant. This is the difference between Harry and Ron that I couldn't find with my brains scrambled._

"Can I come with you?"

"Wh-what?!"

"I want to come with you." Hermione repeated, smothering the urge to giggle at Harry's dumbfounded look. "As far as I know there is no way to bring back my parent's memories, but if we're going to be travelling all over the world then maybe I'll be able to find something." Harry was just blinking at her like he couldn't wrap his head around what she was saying.

"Are you sure? This will just be several more years in a tent and-... well, aren't you and Ron...?"

"A few years in a tent with you sounds like exactly what I need right now. As for Ron... I'm sure he does expect us to get together, but I just keep remembering more and more and I don't think that I could do it. When are we leaving?"  _And I don't think I shall be telling Ron where I'm going. That would serve him right for doing the same to Harry and me in the tent. What goes around comes around._

"I-... I was going to leave tonight, b-but we can wait if you want to take the time to say goodbye to everyone first." Hermione almost cheered out loud at the idea that she had a goal to work towards again and that she had a chance to do so with her best friend made it feel like everything they had been through might just be worth it.

"Oh, I'm going to miss the two of you." Luna sniffled from Harry's other side. Harry caught Hermione's eye. She had no problem reading what he was asking her with his eyes and could only smile her consent.

"Well, um, you could come with us, you know, Luna?" Harry offered softly. Looking past his chest Hermione could see the way the little blonde had stilled. Her eyes were wide and Hermione could see the fragile hope reflected in those grey orbs.

"R-really?"

"Well, yeah. If you want to that is. I mean, I'd understand that you'd want to stay here with your dad."

"My father's dead. I'm not sure what was finally one publication too many for the Death Eaters, but-... it looked like- like they'd put his body in-... printing press..." Luna broke down in sobs and Hermione was proud of Harry when he immediately pulled the younger girl into his lap and began rocking her. Hermione adjusted her grip so that she was now hugging both of them. It took Luna a long time to cry herself out in their arms. When she finally had the light had changed and the sun was about to set.

"So, it's decided? The three of us together, we're going to leave Britain and see the world?" Harry asked tentatively. Luna sniffled and nodded, using the movement to snuggle deeper into Harry's chest. Hermione had a different idea.

"Not so fast, Harry Potter. We're not going with you just like that. There's a condition."

"But-... didn't you just-... I thought you coming with me was your idea?" Harry asked, looking utterly confused. Hermione just fixed him with her best attempt at Professor McGonagall's Students-Out-Of-Bed-After-Curfew look, instead of the teasing grin that wanted to break out.

 _"_ We're getting a new tent before we go anywhere _."_ she told him in a tone that brooked no argument. Harry gaped at her while Luna's slightly watery giggles drifted up from where she had her face buried in Harry's chest. Those giggles set Hermione off as well which left Harry looking between the two of them, trying to make sense of it all.

"Um, well, Dobby did get me a new tent already and I'm all packed." Harry got out, still sounding a little overwhelmed. "How long will it take you two to pack?" There was a pop and Dobby was handing Hermione her beaded purse.

"Dobby has put Miss Lunie's things in there as well. Would the Missies prefer Dobby look for another bag?"

"No, Dobby this is fine." Hermione told the loyal little elf before turning to Harry. "Right. Let's get out of here. Where are we going first?" The smile that slowly formed on Harry's face was like a beautiful sunrise to Hermione.

"I am so outnumbered." Harry muttered happily as Hermione took one of his arms and Luna took the other. Together the two girls laughingly pulled Harry up off the ground and away from the castle and the life that waited for them there. Their dreams were waiting for them out in the wide, unknown world and they were going to find them and take them together.  _Our lives are going to be our choice from now on and I for one am choosing to be happy._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fustian Grumplings: fustian is actually a noun meaning "Pompous or pretentious writing' while "grumpling" is entirely made up and is derived from grumpy. Luna is telling Hermione that she's pretending to able to do more than she can and that it isn't a particularly endearing trait.


	11. Chapter 11

**Four years later**

_"Please, Mama? Just two more chapters?" Hermione silently cursed her daughter for having her father's gorgeous eyes and being unafraid to use them when she wanted something._

_"Not a chance, young lady. We both know that it won't be 'just two more chapters'."_

_"One more then?"_

_"No. Now go to sleep."_

_"No." the little girl pouted. "I don't wanna."_

_"Heather Emilia, I do not want to hear any whining. You are going to sleep; now."_

_"Can Papa come up and say goodnight?" Heather tried in an effort to stall bedtime just a little more. Hermione almost groaned out loud._

_"Yes, I'll go get your father, but you had better be lying under the blankets when he gets up here."_

_"... okay." Heather muttered, apparently realising that this was the best deal she was going to get and snuggling down under the covers. Seeing that her daughter was finally doing as she was told, Hermione left the room to fulfill her part of the bargain. Standing just outside the door she took a moment to close her eyes and just breathe. She knew that she owed her mother an apology considering how often she had been on the other side of that argument when she had been younger. While she was standing there she felt a pair of arms slipping around her waist and a pair of lips pressing a burning kiss to her neck._

_"Was Heather in bed like a good girl or did she take after her parents again?" a deep voice hiding a chuckle murmured in her ear._

_"Mmm... your daughter wants you to come in and say good night before there can be any talk about being a good girl." Hermione moaned as she melted into the embrace and the kiss. The chuckle that had been waiting in her husband's voice washed over her ears like the surf on the shore and sent a delicious shiver down her spine._

_"Why don't I go take care of that while you go grab your own book? After all, we should probably keep the noise down until she's completely asleep." the voice suggested, turning decidedly husky and wreaking havoc on Hermione's self control. Determined to get him back for his (rather succesful) attempts at getting her going Hermione whirled around to engage in some teasing of her own. Her spin left her facing empty air though._

_As she tried to make sense of what she was seeing Hermione felt like the world around her had grown colder than it should be. She extended her arms in front of her and began feeling around for the man she had been sure had been holding her a moment ago. Her hands encountered a resistance she couldn't see. The only thing she could say about it was that it was springy and that it didn't feel the way it should. Slowly she also became aware of something wrapped around her legs and a wrinkle of something pushing into the side of her chest._

Hermione's eyes slowly opened to reveal a large expanse of bed. Rolling onto her back she looked around the room and discovered that she was lying in one of the biggest beds she had ever seen in what looked like a cream coloured tent. Slowly memories began to filter into her mind and she rolled over a little further to look at the night-stand on her side of the bed. Sure enough, there was a list lying there, written in her own neat handwriting. Some of the things on the list would look ridiculous to anyone reading it: 'brush teeth', 'shower', 'eat breakfast'. There were also things that looked more at home on a to-do list. 'Convince Harry to visit Petra' grabbed her attention in particular.  _That's right. We're in Jordan. It would be a crime if we didn't go and see its most famous site._

With a goal in mind and a grin on her face Hermione rolled out of bed to take care of the more mundane things on her list that made up her morning ablutions. When a healer in Belgium had first suggested this method of keeping herself on track during the day Hermione had flatly refused. The idea that she couldn't focus enough to even keep her morning rituals straight had been humiliating. In the end it had taken Harry and Luna working together for a full month to even get her to agree to try it.

Once she had started her trial run they had been ruthless in pointing out how much smoother her day went when she actually used the lists that she made for herself each evening before going to bed. In the end they had been forced to play on her insecurities about her ability to think rationally to get her to admit that she  _knew_  that she needed the lists, she just despised that fact. Once she had admitted that much Harry and Luna had hugged her within an inch of her life. These days the memory brought a smile to Hermione's face whenever she thought about it.  _They didn't say the things I wanted to hear, but the things I needed to hear. They wouldn't let my pride cripple me. They really are the best friends I could ever wish for._

That was what this all came down to after all. The war had taken its toll and now they had to learn to live with it. Hermione had to use her lists as an aid to focus. She was also learning to cast spells with her wand in her right hand since her left hand still hadn't regained its former mobility. It had made her feel clumsy in the beginning as she tried to get the wand motions to work, but she was improving with that every day.  _Besides it's not like I'm the only one who's had to come up with workarounds._

She quickly checked her list to make sure that she had done everything she was supposed to before breakfast and felt a sense of satisfaction in seeing that nothing had been missed. Tucking the list into her pocket, Hermione made her way over to the living area of the tent. There she found Harry and Luna already sitting at the table eating breakfast. Or rather, they were reading books while their empty plates sat in front of them.

"I thought we had agreed to no reading at the table?" she asked with amusement thick in her voice. Harry and Luna looked up guiltily at her and then at each other. They had been the ones to decide on that rule after she had been caught up in a book one time too many for their tastes. Both of them set their books aside and gave her sheepish grins.

"To be fair we were waiting for you and not actually having breakfast yet." Harry told her. Hermione just snorted in response.

"Sure you were." she said as she took her place next to Harry so that there was only one side left open at their square table. "How about you make it up to me?"

"And how would I do that?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow as their breakfast magically appeared on the table followed a moment later by Dobby taking the last open seat.

"You could take us to see the ruins at Petra." Hermione grinned at him.

"Sure." Harry agreed with shrug winning a suspicious look from Hermione. Luna just ignored the both of them in favour of stealing most of the pancakes before either of them had a chance.

"Just like that?"

"Well, I expect there to be some fairly interesting runes in there." Harry admitted. Hermione gave him a slightly apologetic smile and got a forgiving hand squeeze in response. Harry had been working around his own disability as much as he could and a part of that was a fervent study into runes. Since he couldn't perform active magic beyond the O.W.L. level anymore Harry had taken to focusing on passive magics. A large part of their library was focused on subjects like Potions, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes. Harry was determined that anything he couldn't acchieve with the active magics that had been his best subjects for so long, he would learn to acchieve another way. Hermione still thought it was one of the most impressive philosophies she had ever heard and she felt a little bit bad that she hadn't realised that Harry was now just as eager as she was to see any site that might help him in that endeavour. While their silent communication was going on most of the bacon had also disappeared onto Luna's plate.

"Luna, leave some for the rest of us." Hermione scolded as she reached for the egg-cup that had been set right in front of her to begin her first physiotherapy exercise of the day: using her left hand to pick up a raw egg and putting it in an empty egg-cup only a foot away from the first before bringing it back again. She was supposed to move the egg ten times each morning. The first time she had tried this they had gone through ten eggs which she either dropped or squashed as she tried to get her gripstrength under control. These days she only broke about three eggs per morning.

"But I'm the youngest. You two are supposed to take care of me." Luna pouted as she forced her eyes wide in an attempt to look like a helpless little girl.

"We are taking care of you. We're making sure you don't over eat." Hermione told her drily.

"You're right though. We should probably ask Dobby to make you some extra vegetables tonight. And no more pudding." Harry agreed as he pulled the large serving bowl of oatmeal towards him with a massive grin.

"You wouldn't dare!" Luna cried out in a passable imitation of distress as she grabbed the yoghurt and muesli.

"Oh no. Come on, you two. Put the weapons d-" Hermione never got to finish her sentence as Harry launched the first attack splattering Luna with a glob of oatmeal she hadn't noticed him levitating around the table.

"Oatmeal is a good part of a healthy breakfast." Harry chirped with an insane grin on his face. Luna just wiped the gunk out of her neck.

"This? Means war." she threatened, shaking an oatmeal covered fist in Harry's direction causing little flecks of breakfast to fly at him. A split second later the chaos Hermione had been dreading was in full swing as the other two engaged in a no holds barred food fight.

"Would Miss Mi-nee like some tea?" Dobby asked politely as if World War Breakfast wasn't being decided a few feet away.

"I think I'll wait for them to finish, Dobby, but thank you." Hermione smiled at their smallest friend. A moment later, as if to prove her point she was splattered by two stray missiles. It was clear that neither Harry nor Luna had noticed these misses turned hits and Hermione felt her eyebrow twitch. "That's it!" She picked up the raw egg and sent it sailing through the air to splatter against Luna's temple. The egg-cup, realising that the first egg had broken, provided another one as Dobby had enchanted it to do. This one struck Harry right between the eyes as he and Luna had turned to see where the unexpected projectile had come from. As the egg dripped off of his face Harry broke out in a grin and shot over to the table to grab Hermione in a hug.

"Hermione, that was amazing! Your aim and motor functions were fantastic." Hermoine stopped trying to fight the messy man off when she realised that she had used her left hand to throw the eggs with such accuracy. This was the most progress she had made in a while. "We need to celebrate!" Harry exclaimed.

"You need to get cleaned up." Hermione corrected him, unable to keep a giddy note of happiness out of her voice. Taking advantage of the fact that they were both dirty anyway Hermione quickly hugged Harry back. That seemed to be the signal for Luna to join the hug as well. "We all need to get cleaned up." Hermione repeated as the smells of their food-covered bodies invaded her nostrils. A moment later she found herself lifted into the air by a Levitation Charm. "Harry!"

"It's not me!" he defended himself even as he was laughing at her predicament.

"Luna! Put me down."

"I can't, Hermione. We're not at the bath yet... and you really shouldn't have tried to take my pancakes away." Luna smiled up at her with that dreamy facade firmly in place.

"Why do I have to be stuck in this madhouse?!" Hermione cried out as she tried to grab something she might be able to use to pull herself down to safety. She knew the answer to her own question though. This madhouse was so much better than the madhouse they had left behind and, despite their tendency to drive her spare, Harry and Luna's presence had been instrumental in her rehabilitation as much as getting away from England had been.

As the sounds of splashing and laughter rang out from the bathroom, Dobby set about cleaning up the mess with a smile. He knew that Harry Potter and his Missies wouldn't ask him to, but they never seemed to understand how fun cleaning really was. As he worked Dobby considered how the past few years away from England had turned out and smiled to himself. Telling Harry Potter's Missies had been the right thing to do. It had made Harry Potter's life better and happier. That wasn't saving Harry Potter's life. It was just... improving it a little. And it had also gotten Dobby the best job any elf could ever have wished for. After all, Harry Potter had told him to take care of his Missies and any orders that went against that could happily be ignored as long as Dobby kept obeying the first order. Dobby knew that taking care of his Missies was more important to Harry Potter than anything else, just like taking care of Harry Potter was more important to his Missies than anything else. It had taken the humans a few months to understand that they were going to be taken care of, but they had come around and accepted that Dobby was now their elf. Yes, helping the Great Harry Potter had definitely been the right decision.

* * *

**The End**

* * *

 


End file.
